Memories Of The Rain
by SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan
Summary: It was Natsu who fought Juvia, not Gray this time. However, Juvia is not all she seems to be, the Rain Woman unknowingly has a secret, although what is it and just how does it relate to Natsu, who after his fight is suddenly feeling very odd, seeing flashbacks of events he can't seem to recall. In time, Natsu will come to learn that Juvia is much closer to him than he ever thought.
1. Different paths

**Welcome, welcome to another story by yours truly. (Also, yes this is the same opening note for all of my Fairy Tail stories but the ending notes are different).**

 **Firstly, I just have to say Fairy Tail is absolutely awesome at creating strong heroines, I mean you look at most of the main shounen manga and they all have a multitude of weak female characters.  
Even classics like Dragon Ball fell into this after a while, sure they have strong willed characters like Chi-Chi and Bulma, and #18 was a great fighter who had her moments, when she was the strongest during the Android Saga and broke Vegeta's arm for instance, but, eventually it all dissipated.  
It is honestly a little sad, I'm no feminist or anything, but almost every female character in every manga is really weak and it is a little annoying.  
Then you have Fairy Tail with the likes of Erza, Mirajane, Ultear, Kagura, Minerva, Mavis etc. It is really awesome, I mean if Kishimoto took some advice from Mashima maybe Sakura and Hinata wouldn't have been so damn annoying.**

 **In any case, there is a lot to like about Fairy Tail but one of my favourite parts is the E.N.D. plot twist.  
This is a warning for this and all of my other Fairy Tail stories, all of them will play off the knowledge of E.N.D. Some almost straight from the beginning and some halfway through the story, the point I'm trying to make is if you don't know who E.N.D. is and don't want to be spoiled, don't read my Fairy Tail stories until you do.**

 **With that said, on with the story.  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga all I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 1 – Different paths

'Quick, we need to stop this moving guild!' Shouted Natsu, a pink haired Fire Dragon Slayer, as he ran off.

'Alright, let's split up and find this Guild's power source.' Declared Gray, an Ice Make Mage with black hair and a nasty stripping habit.

'It's just one crazy thing after another!' Shouted Elfman, a real man with white hair, blue eyes and a hulking figure.

The three mages quickly ran off, following their own path to try and find the source to the Phantom Lord Guild's power source.

'Oho Happy I had a great idea, I bet if we get on top of this thing I'll be able to find the other Element Four guys quicker, what do you think?' Questioned Natsu excitedly, as his gold trimmed, black waistcoat and white scale-patterned scarf bobbed erratically as he ran.

'Good idea Natsu.' Said Happy.

'Alright then Happy, up.' Declared Natsu.

'Aye sir.' Chimed Happy, as he started to carry Natsu up.

'Alright, here we go Happy, **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist**!' Shouted Natsu, as he burst through the roof of the mobile guild and landed outside it.

'Oh Happy what's going on, is it raining?' Questioned Natsu in shock.

'Aye sir.' Replied Happy with a salute.

'What kind of an answer is that?' Questioned Natsu.

'I don't know why it is raining.' Muttered Happy sourly.

'Drip, drip drop.' Said a voice, drawing both Natsu and Happy's attention.

'Juvia, The Woman of Rain of The Element Four. Drip, drip drop.' Said a blue haired woman with dark blue eyes and pale skin. Her hair was long and tightly curled at the base, resting on her navy blue coat and a fur shawl, with a teru teru bōzu doll attached to it, along with a Russian Cossack hat.

'To think you could beat even two of the Element Four, but Juvia and Aria are not to be taken lightly.' Continued Juvia.

'Two? Alright, in that case, I'll take you down to make three. No one hurts my comrades and gets away with it.' Declared Natsu with a stony face.

As Juvia gazed at Natsu she felt something, something was nagging inside her, her head more specifically.

'What is this? Juvia feels strange." Thought Juvia, as she grimaced slightly.

'Ho, what is with that face, don't you believe me, I'll show you **Fire Dragon's Roar**!' Shouted Natsu, as he breathed in deeply and held his hands together, clenched in front his mouth, as though holding a trumpet, before launching a wave of fire at Juvia.

' **Water Slicer**.' Juvia declared calmly, as her attack met Natsu's head on and tore through it.

' **Fire Dragon's Claw**!' Shouted Natsu, as his feet suddenly lit up in a blaze of flames and he launched himself at Juvia.

' **Water Lock**.' Said Juvia, as a sphere of water, absent of all oxygen engulfed Natsu.

'Natsu!' Cried Happy in worry.

'Juvia wished it didn't end like this. If you bring Lucy to me, Juvia may be able to convince our master to withdraw.' Said Juvia sadly, before her eyes widened in shock.

Juvia had only intended to hold Natsu for a little bit, until she had convinced him to get Lucy for them, but instead, she was now utterly astonished as her whole attack was being eaten, or more precisely drank by her opponent. Juvia could only gape at this, as her water was not ordinary water, but rather, it was mixed together with her magic and her very essence… and it was being drank.

Natsu's cheeks puffed immensely, as he sucked the water in as fast as he could, as the dome holding him quickly shrank.

'We would never give Lucy to you, Fairy Tail mages don't ever give up on their comrades, especially with what you guys did to the old man, no, we will beat you.' Declared Natsu, as he slowly stood up drenched in water.

'Natsu since when can you drink so much water?' Questioned Happy with bulging eyes.

'I dunno, it kind of felt like that time I tried to eat Laxus lightning, but for some reason I'm really fired up, almost boiling.' Said Natsu with a grin, as steam escaped from his maw.

'You drank Juvia's water… Juvia's water…' Muttered Juvia, as she started to blush.

'He drank Juvia's fluids, Juvia is so embarrassed!' Squealed Juvia with a huge blush, as she clutched her head in her hands.

'Eh?' Questioned both Natsu and Happy.

'Happy what is she talking about I didn't drink her fluids?' Questioned Natsu in confusion, as he agitatedly pointing at the blushing rain woman.

'Natsu how could you do this to Lucy? Drinking another woman's fluids.' Accused Happy with a giggle.

'What the hell what kind of an answer is that?' Yelled Natsu.

'Lucy… why is he talking about Lucy.' Muttered Juvia quietly, but Happy heard her.

'That's because they have a _thing_.' Said Happy rolling his tongue.

'Eh? We do? I mean I know we invade her house all the time, but what thing?' Questioned Natsu, as he scratched his hair.

'Juvia's fluids were drank by Natsu, Natsu has a thing with Lucy… Juvia must beat Lucy now!' Shouted Juvia suddenly.

'Eh?' Questioned both Natsu and Happy again.

'Juvia's anger and jealousy are boiling!' Shouted Juvia, as steam started to roll off her body, her skin turning red.

'Oho Happy, she is all fired up, what the hell, that's my thing!' Shouted Natsu.

Juvia's steaming body flowed in Natsu's direction, causing Happy to fly away. Natsu quickly pushed off the ground and jumped into the sky, before he lit his hand ablaze and slashed in a clawing like fashion towards Juvia. The flames blasted Juvia and a huge steam explosion kicked up.

' **Water Cane**!' Juvia shouted from within the steam, as a whip of boiling water struck at Natsu.

'Augh it burns… wait a minute, how can water burn?' Cried Natsu in pain, before becoming quizzical.

'Natsu, this isn't the time for your slow thinking!' Shouted Happy urgently.

'Right, **Fire Dragon's Sword Horn**.' Said Natsu, as his entire body was lit ablaze and he launched himself into the steam.

When Natsu was a meter away from entering the steam cloud, he suddenly looked at Happy.

'Hey, what slow thinking?' Shouted Natsu indignantly, before he disappeared into the steam, shortly after which, a large explosion occurred, sending miasmas of steam into the air.

 _-line break-_

Natsu's attack even caused the guild to shake slightly, drawing the attention of all the members of Fairy Tail currently fighting, and caused them to look up at the area covered in steam.

'Heh, bet that's Natsu up there.' Said Macao, a slim mildly muscular man who used fire magic as well.

'Yeah, no one else could have caused an explosion that loud and flashy.' Agreed Wakaba, a man with a pompadour-like hair style and cigarette in his mouth.

'Enough chatter, if they are fighting hard up there, then we need to work even harder down here!' Yelled Cana, a tall, slim young woman, with brown hair and ample bust, held back by a blue bikini top.

'Ah, you heard her Wakaba.' Chuckled Macao, as they threw themselves back into the fight.

 _-line break-_

'Natsu! Are you okay?' Shouted Happy into the steam cloud, which was slowly expanding and covering a large portion of the guild.

'Yeah Happy.' Replied a voice from within the steam.

'Natsu.' Cried Happy happily, as he flew into the steam.

Happy found Natsu and noticed he was kneeling and next to him, was the downed rain woman lying flat on her back.

'Juvia lost, so much heat, even Juvia's boiling water started to evaporate.' Muttered the Element Four member, as her eyes stared vacantly at the sky.

'Man Happy look at this rain.' Commented Natsu as he held his right hand out.

'It is really pouring isn't it?' Continued Natsu.

'Aye sir.' Agreed Happy, as he landed on Natsu's shoulder.

'Juvia is a rain woman.' Muttered Juvia tiredly.

'Oh so you can make it rain, that's cool.' Commented Natsu, as he looked down at Juvia and gave her a grin.

"Cool… he finds the rain cool?" Thought Juvia in shock.

'Yeah I always liked the rain, whenever it rained me and Igneel would curl up together for the day and he would tell me stories.' Said Natsu fondly.

'The rain, it reminds me of the good times I had with Igneel, even when we weren't training.' Muttered Natsu.

'Natsu how can you like the rain, you are a Fire Dragon Slayer?' Queried Happy.

"Yes that is what everyone thinks, no one likes the rain." Thought Juvia sadly, after hearing Happy's words.

'That's easy, when it rains I get to go all out because if my fire gets out of control or anything, the rain will stop it.' Replied Natsu.

'You… like the rain?' Questioned Juvia softly.

'Yeah, it really makes me smile.' Answered Natsu, as a small smile appeared on his face.

'Juvia always hated the rain.' Muttered Juvia.

'Ehhh, how come, you are the reason it rains?' Questioned Happy in astonishment.

'People don't like the rain and find it gloomy. Juvia always felt depressed because no one liked the rain and always found it gloomy. Kids always hoped Juvia wouldn't come with them on field trips because it always rained when she was around. Even one time when Juvia had a relationship with a man, Bora, he broke up with Juvia because he couldn't stand the rain.' Said Juvia sadly, before she heard Natsu laugh.

'What is so funny?' Asked Juvia angrily.

'Oh, it's funny because people didn't want me to go with them to certain places because I would destroy things.' Confessed Natsu happily.

'But Juvia can't stop the rain, you can stop destroying things.' Refuted Juvia.

'Haha Natsu can't stop destroying things, he almost broke my egg when I was still in one. Even now, on every job he takes, half the reward is usually spent on repairs.' Snickered Happy.

'Yeah, besides that Bora guy was a real sneaky guy anyway, he wouldn't appreciate the rain, he was only a fake Salamander after all… guy trying to steal my name and everything, even though his fire magic was so weak. Hey, I bet that is why he broke up with you, his flames weren't strong enough to deal with the rain!' Declared Natsu boisterously.

'Couldn't handle the rain?' Questioned Juvia confused.

'Yeah just look.' Said Natsu, as he engulfed his right fist in flames even in the rain.

'Your fire… it keeps burning even in the rain.' Muttered Juvia in surprise.

'Yep, because Fire Dragon Slayer magic is strong. It might be smothered a little, but it will keep burning, even in the rain.' Explained Natsu, as steam wafted around his flaming hand.

'Natsu likes the rain… Juvia is glad.' Said Juvia with a smile.

'The rain… Juvia made it rain when Juvia was lonely... but now, it is raining and Juvia is happy.' Said Juvia with a smile, as the rain fell on her face, making it look as though she was shedding tears.

'Oh Natsu, I just realised, there is still another Element Four around!' Exclaimed Happy suddenly.

'Wait if I beat one, and Juvia said that we had beaten two, and Juvia makes three then… ah you're right Happy!' Shouted Natsu after finishing his calculations.

'How are we going to find the last one?' Shouted Happy, as he held his head in dismay.

'Wait, maybe Gray or Elfman already took care of the last guy.' Said Natsu aloud.

'Juvia doubts it.' Said Juvia softly, drawing both of their attention.

'Hmm are you underestimating Fairy Tail's power?' Questioned Natsu ominously.

'N-no.' Spluttered Juvia.

"Such intense eyes." Thought Juvia to herself.

'Juvia is just saying that Juvia doesn't think Aria is defeated because Aria holds really strong magic… he was the one who injured your master.' Explained Juvia, which caused a deadly aura to surround Natsu.

'So that was the guy who hurt the old man.' Muttered Natsu ominously.

Natsu was brought out of his musings when the mobile guild he was standing on started to rumble, before parts of it started to break apart.

'Eh… does this mean someone beat Aria?' Questioned Juvia, before noticing Natsu was swaying.

Natsu dropped to his knees.

'Did Juvia hurt Natsu?' Questioned Juvia curiously.

'No, Natsu just can't handle vehicles.' Muttered Happy, as he floated in the air.

'H-Happy, make it stop please?' Pleaded Natsu, as he held his stomach in agony.

'But you might throw up on me.' Whined Happy before, after a bit more whimpering on Natsu's part which caused him to sigh, he reluctantly picked up Natsu.

'Ah thanks Happy.' Said Natsu after a moment of getting his stomach back under control.

'All you Fairy Tail members out there, we have succeeded in capturing Lucy.' Announced Master Jose through a loudspeaker.

Shortly after the announcement, a pained cry was heard, which everyone recognised as belonging to Lucy, from the speakers.

'Now our only remaining goal: is to slaughter the lot of you disgusting brats.' Declared Jose through the speaker.

Natsu's body started to leak steam, almost as if his very skin itself was boiling.

'Natsu, what's going on?' Questioned Happy nervously.

'Happy, let's go save Lucy.' Growled Natsu in anger.

'Aye.' Replied Happy, as he carried his friend where his nose led him.

As the duo of Dragon Slayer and Flying Cat started to disappear from Juvia's sight, she mumbled one last thing before passing out.

'Lucy… you are a love rival.' Juvia muttered as her eyes closed.

 _-line break-_

'Gajeel, maybe you should stop, what if you actually do kill her, Master Jose will be angry.' Said a rather nervous looking Phantom Lord member.

'Eh, if I kill her I'll just blame it on one of you.' Replied Gajeel, as he threw a kunai just next to Lucy's head causing his long, spiky black hair to shake.

Lucy flinched slightly, as she was chained to the wall and couldn't move at all.

'Man, this sucks, all those Tail idiots are throwing their lives away just because this girl's got a bit of cash.' Complained Gajeel, causing Lucy to laugh.

'Hmm, you say something girl?' Questioned Gajeel, as he glanced back at Lucy, his red eyes boring into her.

'You guys really are complete idiots, aren't you? I feel so sorry for you it makes me want to cry.' Said Lucy.

'Is that right? To be able to bluff in a situation like this, you might just be worth something after all.' Said Gajeel.

Lucy winced as another kunai struck just near her head.

'If I died you would be the guys in trouble, you know. Fairy Tail would never forgive you! That's the kind of guild they are. You'd spend the rest of your life cowering in fear, as the most terrible guild in the world hunts you down.' Continued Lucy.

'Hmm maybe I should test your little theory and see how it holds up.' Said Gajeel, as he threw another kunai.

'It's going to hit!' Shouted a Phantom Lord member, as Gajeel's kunai approached Lucy, heading straight for her head.

Lucy closed her eyes and waited for the kunai to hit, before she heard a large explosion and felt the area around her rumble. Lucy opened her eyes in surprise, as a flaming apparition floated in the air above her.

'Heh, I knew it was you, I recognised your smell.' Said Gajeel with a smirk.

Natsu landed on the ground flames and steam circling around him, his eyes pure white as his clothing fluttered madly. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Natsu was in front of Gajeel and launched a fire infused fist into Gajeel's face, sending him flying into the other guild members behind him.

'Natsu.' Said Lucy happily.

'You okay, Lucy?' Asked Happy, as he pulled on the metal restraints holding Lucy to the wall.

'Happy.' Cried Lucy in happiness.

Lucy's attention was drawn back to Natsu when she saw him blast Gajeel back with a fiery uppercut.

'Whoa, I've never seen Natsu like that.' Commented Lucy.

'Me neither, right now he is strong, he might even be able to beat Erza the way he is now.' Happy said in agreement, as he pulled out a bolt to one of Lucy's restraints.

Natsu was covered in a white sheen of, what appeared to be, steam, which was slowly wafting around him, as he clashed with the Iron Dragon Slayer.

'What's the matter Salamander? Cat got your tongue?' Questioned Gajeel, as the normally rambunctious Fairy Tail Mage was surprisingly silent.

'I didn't take Natsu's tongue.' Pipped in Happy indignantly.

'Quiet stupid cat, don't make him realise where we are!' Cried Lucy, as she muzzled Happy with her arms and tried to find somewhere to hide from the battle.

Natsu suddenly opened his maw and spewed reddish flames, tinged with white around the edges, at Gajeel. Gajeel rolled to avoid the attack, but turned his head slightly when he heard hissing behind him and saw Natsu's attack; was actually eating through the very walls of their mobile guild.

'Whoa, that guy isn't messing around.' Commented one of the Phantom Lord members, not bright enough to flee from the room holding two very destructive mages.

'Hey, Happy, why is Natsu acting so weird, what happened to him?' Questioned Lucy quietly, with a hint of worry in her tone, as she stared at the still dissolving wall that had been struck by Natsu's attack.

'Hmm I'm not sure, but he got really angry when he heard Jose over the loudspeaker and when I carried him here, he kept getting quieter and angrier. After a while he just went silent, which kind of worried me.' Said Happy thoughtfully.

Gajeel launched a pole of iron into Natsu's gut and pushed him back, but Natsu then batted the metal aside and launched another roar, which Gajeel swiftly avoided.

'But why are his attacks dissolving everything, I mean he uses fire, shouldn't he be melting things?' Questioned Lucy in confusion.

'Hmm I dunno, although it might have to do with the fight Natsu had with that girl before this.' Said Happy smartly, as he slammed his tiny right fist into his left palm.

'Eh, what happened?' Asked Lucy curiously.

'Natsu drank her fluids.' Explained Happy, getting everyone in the room, including Gajeel, to gawk, which caused Gajeel to get a solid kick to the gut.

'W-what!' Shouted Lucy, along with a few nearby Phantom Lord Members.

'Hey why are you guys listening to my explanation? You guys are bad.' Happy exclaimed, as he pointed at the nearby mages.

'Never mind that cat, what do you mean he drank her fluids?' Questioned Lucy, as she shook the blue creature.

'Ah Lucy stop shaking me, he drank the blue lady's water.' Said Happy weakly, as he was manhandled by the, in his words, heavy girl.

'Why did you say her fluids then, stupid cat?' Shouted Lucy in annoyance, as she kept shaking the cat.

'She was made of water.' Muttered Happy, before collapsing to the floor as Lucy released him, with visions of fish dancing around his swirly eyes.

'Oh pretty fish, just give me one bite.' Muttered Happy weakly.

The remaining mages in the room had their attention drawn back to the fight when Natsu landed a solid fist into Gajeel's gut, which dissolved his clothes around that area and burned his gut horribly.

'Tch that actually hurt, I better not mess around anymore then.' Said Gajeel, as he grabbed a metal tile from nearby and promptly threw it into his mouth before chewing.

Natsu charged Gajeel and launched a fiery axe kick at him, but Gajeel blocked with a cross guard, his arms and entire body now covered in iron.

Gajeel smirked, before feeling the heat burn his hands slightly and jumped away from Natsu, whose foot then slammed into the ground and burned right into the floor.

'What the hell?' Exclaimed Gajeel, as he saw the iron surrounding his arms was covered in rust and was flaking off, revealing raw skin underneath.

'That's it, I'm ending this, **Iron Dragon's Roar**!' Shouted Gajeel, as he released a spiralling beam of metallic energy at Natsu.

Natsu seemed to retch slightly and cough, causing fire to escape from his mouth, before looking up and unleashing a blast of white hot flames directed at Gajeel's attack.

The two beams of energy clashed, with Natsu's starting to erode through Gajeel's, before finally reaching him and sending him through the guild floor. Gajeel roared in pain before Natsu's attack exploded, leaving a heavily burnt and near unconscious Dragon Slayer on the floor below. Lucy watched in awe, while all the other mages ran away in terror, at seeing their strongest member beaten. Natsu dropped to his knees and retched again, before a wave of misty white flames projected from his mouth and eroded a large portion of the floor, before sinking through the subsequent levels, leaving a gaping metre wide hole right down to the ground.

'Ugh I feel terrible.' Muttered Natsu, as he opened his eyes and revealed his black pupils, which had previously been absent.

'Natsu!' Cried Lucy, as she quickly ran to his kneeling form.

'Ah hey Lucy, you're okay right?' Questioned Natsu tiredly.

'Yeah I'm fine, thanks to you, how are you though what happened to you?' Replied Lucy worriedly.

'Uh… not sure, but if you don't mind, I think I'm going to take a nap now.' Said Natsu weakly, before he passed out, saved from falling into the hole he had just made by Lucy's quick reflexes.

"Natsu what happened to you?" Wondered Lucy, as she absentmindedly stroked her saviour's head.

 _-line break-_

The battle with Phantom Lord ended shortly after Natsu passed out, as a revitalised Makarov had shown up and took Jose down in one powerful attack, **Fairy Law**. Afterwards, Lucy lamented the loss of the guild and begun to blame herself for everything, before Makarov quickly dissuaded her of the notion and gave a short, but stirring speech, which brought her to tears, shortly afterwards, Makarov joined her, when thinking about what the Council may end up doing to him. Natsu ending up staying unconscious until the next morning, after which he woke up slightly groggy.

'Hey flame brain what's the matter with you, you almost hit me there! Are you trying to start a fight?' Shouted Gray, as he and Natsu were carrying lumber to help build the new guild.

'Ugh shut up ice princess, my head is still ringing.' Growled Natsu in annoyance.

'Well that's what you get for being a weakling.' Mocked Gray.

'Hey shut up, I took out two of the Element Four and their Ace, what did you do!' Accused Natsu.

Gray growled slightly, remembering how Aria had easily manhandled him.

'Alright Natsu that's it, you want a fight?' Questioned Gray menacingly, as he unknowingly stripped his shirt off with one hand while still holding a chunk of wood in the other.

Natsu was about to retort before Erza came over.

'If you've got time to play around, hurry up and help, we've got to fix the guild as soon as possible!' Ordered Erza, clad in construction worker clothing.

'O-on it!' Stuttered Gray fearfully.

'Uh yeah whatever.' Replied Natsu half-heartedly… to Erza.

Gray looked at Natsu in shock and started to back away slowly, noticing Erza's gaze harden.

Erza walked over to Natsu while Gray silently left the scene, hoping to get away from, what he was sure would be, another one of Erza's lectures.

Natsu sighed softly feeling Erza approach him, truth be told, Natsu wasn't all that afraid of Erza. Don't get him wrong, he feared her trying to teach him things again, or "helping" him deal with his motion sickness, but usually he just played along with everyone else's fear of Erza, mainly because he had yet to beat her in a fight. Truth be told, he liked Erza, especially since she could almost match the amount of destruction he could dish out, but he wasn't feeling up to it today.

'Natsu is something wrong?' Asked Erza firmly.

'Uh no, not really.' Answered Natsu with a half-smile.

'You aren't lying to me are you?' Questioned Erza with a narrowed gaze, hoping to somewhat intimidate the fire mage.

'Yeah I'm fine, just still recovering I guess.' Replied Natsu tiredly.

'Ok, I've decided that you are not yet fit to help with construction, go and lie down somewhere for an hour then come back to me so I can assess you.' Ordered Erza.

'Really Erza, I'm fine.' Protested Natsu weakly, before Erza glared at him.

'Alright fine, I'm going see.' Said Natsu tiredly, as he placed the lumber he was carrying down and went to lie in the shade of a nearby tree.

"Natsu, what's wrong, this is so unlike you?" Wondered Erza worriedly, at the strange behaviour on the part of the Fire Dragon Slayer. Not only did he not cower in fear from her, but he even shrugged off her gaze and tried to disobey an order, from her, Erza Scarlet. The old Natsu would have never done something like this and it made Erza concerned.

Natsu sat down against the trunk of the tree and almost instantly fell asleep, although, as he slept, he clenched his stomach occasionally and his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, as strange visions assaulted his mind. Visions, of destruction, carnage, and even, death. 

**I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter but now I need your opinion straight off the bat. All of my Fairy Tail stories are set up in a way that they can all be single pairings, in other words just Natsu/Juvia for instance, or can have multiple pairings.**

 **Each story however has a separate selection of who I could possibly add.**

 **For this story however, should most of you choose for multiple pairings it would include any or all of the following: Erza, Mirajane, Ultear, Lucy, Minerva and/or Sayla.**

 **This selection however is non-negotiable as there is a reason for each person, in other words for this story, someone like Lisanna would not work at all, hence no amount of persuasion would make me add her.  
**


	2. Wizard Saint

**I had actually planned on updating A Third Chance again before this, but I got really excited about this chapter and really want to upload it now.**

 **However, firstly, this needs to be said. I am not going to bash anyone. There is literally only one person I would ever bash and even then, it would only be mildly and that is Sakura from Naruto.**

 **I am not bashing Gray.**

 **I honestly have no qualm with anyone in Fairy Tail, they are all interesting in their own unique way. Once again, Gray is not being bashed, Natsu said that stuff to him last chapter for three reasons, one, it was true, two, he was disgruntled and three, for me to give Gray a reason to get stronger.**

 **Now, with that out of the way, there is a poll on my profile for this story and I'm getting tired of repeating myself again and again on different stories, so I'll make this brief.**

 **Vote for Juvia if you want a single pairing, if she has the most votes this will stay a single pairing.**

 **Whoever has more votes than Juvia will be added to the pairing/harem.**

 **I will keep the poll running until chapter 5 for each story, then close them and reveal the results.**

 **Also, I'm adding Angel to the poll as well, as I have an idea for her, along with Meredy and Lisanna, who can also work.**

 **Lastly, some of you have guessed what Juvia is, with some of you guessing correctly, but none of you have figured out the reason for it, which is good, as it means I'll still surprise you all. There are a few more hints in this chapter, so for those of you that guessed correctly, I'd say you can figure out the truth with this chapter.**

 **For now though, enjoy the chapter.  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga all I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 2 – Wizard Saint

Natsu's mind was a whirlwind of images. He was seeing things he had never seen before.

'Wake up Natsu.' Said a disembodied voice, which caused Natsu's dream to change.

Natsu was now standing on a beach, fire all around him and appeared to be concentrating.

'Wake up Natsu.' Said the same voice again, causing the scene to change to a steel room, with no windows, which appeared to be flooded, with someone standing in the middle of it.

'Wake up Natsu.' Said the voice again, this time more forcefully, causing Natsu to see a pair of dark blue eyes, before waking up.

Natsu blinked in surprise, scratching his head in confusion, before looking around.

'Huh, what the hell? Why is it dark? Where is everyone?' Asked Natsu in shock, as he jumped to his feet.

'Um, Natsu, it is almost midnight now and everyone has gone home for the day.' Said a shy sounding voice, from behind Natsu.

Natsu blinked at this, before turning towards where he heard the voice from.

'Eh… who said that? There's no one here… oh no, don't tell me… I'm finally going insane!' Cried Natsu in dismay.

'Uh, Natsu you aren't insane, Juvia is just shy.' Said the voice, getting Natsu to look up.

'Oh that's good… wait, but I'm still talking to myself… oh man, I must have really gone insane.' Said Natsu, as he slumped to the ground with a sigh.

Natsu then felt someone pat his shoulder softly.

'Now I'm feeling things too.' Natsu moaned.

'Sorry, Natsu, Juvia was just shy, you're not insane.' Said the voice, and Natsu turned around to see the former Phantom Lord Mage.

'Oh Juvia, it's you… I'm not insane, that's a relief.' Said Natsu in relief.

'Wait, what are you doing here Juvia?' Asked Natsu in confusion.

'Uh, Juvia came to wake you up, so you wouldn't get sick sleeping out here.' Said Juvia shyly.

'Really? Thanks. That's really nice of you.' Said Natsu, with a toothy grin, getting Juvia to smile.

'Although, I've never been sick before… well expect for on a train that is.' Said Natsu thoughtfully, causing Juvia to become depressed.

'Oh no, Juvia disturbed Natsu's sleep for no reason!' Cried Juvia in dismay.

'Eh that's alright, Erza was supposed to wake me in an hour… oh no, wait a minute… I was meant to go to her in an hour… damn, she is going to be annoyed.' Said Natsu tiredly.

'Actually, Erza came by and saw you were still resting, so she decided to leave you.' Said Juvia shyly.

'Really? That's good then… although how did you know that?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Juvia was watching you.' Said Juvia, before panicking at what she let slip.

"Oh no! Now Natsu will think Juvia is a crazy stalker or something!" Thought Juvia in dismay.

'Really? Thanks Juvia.' Said Natsu, causing Juvia to swoon a little.

'Juvia was happy to. Juvia wanted to make sure Natsu was safe.' Said Juvia happily.

'Thanks, although, I suppose I should head home now… where is Happy though?' Asked Natsu, as he stood back up.

'He went home with… Lucy.' Said Juvia, as she puffed her cheeks out slightly.

"Love Rival!" Thought Juvia fiercely.

'Damn it, that guy just wants a comfy bed… oh well. I might as well just head home now, since they'll probably be asleep by now anyway.' Said Natsu in annoyance.

'What about you Juvia? Where are you going to sleep?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Uh, nowhere yet. Juvia hasn't arranged for accommodations.' Said Juvia, with a small frown.

'Hmm, I know! Since Happy isn't going to be there, you could always just stay at my place tonight… although it is a little dirty… and small.' Said Natsu, as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"CHANCE!" Shouted Juvia internally.

'Juvia would appreciate that very much!' Said Juvia happily.

'Alright then, let's go *yawn* because for some reason I'm still pretty sleepy.' Said Natsu, with a yawn, before beginning to walk off, with Juvia following next to and slightly behind him.

'Um, Natsu, aren't you worried about letting Juvia be at your house, considering we were enemies before?' Asked Juvia timidly, as she looked away.

'Nah, it's fine. You were just doing what Jose told you too. Even if he was doing bad stuff, you needed to listen to him, because he was the Guild Master.' Said Natsu, with a dismissive wave.

Juvia didn't respond to this, but was inwardly very surprised at Natsu's insight.

'Ah, here it is.' Said Natsu, as the two finally reached Natsu and Happy's humble abode.

'Erm, sorry about the mess.' Said Natsu, with a nervous grin, before opening the door.

Juvia blinked in surprise at how messy the house was. Dirty pans strewn across the living room floor, the kitchen sink full of dirty dishes, clothes dirty and thrown all over the place.

'Sorry, Happy and I don't get much company.' Said Natsu, with a small chuckle.

'Not to worry Natsu, Juvia can fix this all in a moment.' Said Juvia, before raising her hands to shoulder level, shortly after which, water burst from her hands and quickly powered around the house, picking up dirty utensils and clothes, cleaning them, before laying them all in neatly made piles. After that, the sink was blasted with water and all the dishes were cleaned, before being lifted and stacked, or placed on the dish-rack.

'There, Juvia is done.' Said Juvia proudly.

Natsu gave Juvia a starry-eyed gaze.

'Juvia, you have to stay here from now on!' Ordered Natsu, getting Juvia to splutter and blush.

'N-Natsu, Juvia doesn't think she can…' Protested Juvia weakly, before Natsu grabbed her hands in his.

'But Juvia, I need you.' Said Natsu, getting Juvia's heart to race.

'Happy and I can't clean at all, and you did all that in seconds, while it would have taken us weeks.' Said Natsu in excitement.

Natsu then quickly knelt in front of Juvia and clasped his hands.

"Propose! Is Natsu going to propose to Juvia?" Shouted Juvia internally.

'Juvia, please stay here with me and Happy.' Begged Natsu.

"No proposal… but Natsu wants Juvia to live with him! Love rival doesn't stand a chance!" Thought Juvia triumphantly.

'Okay.' Said Juvia curtly.

'Awesome! Um, although I don't have a spare bed…' Said Natsu in embarrassment.

'I know, you can have mine today and I'll sleep on the couch, especially since you cleaned it. I'll get a new bed tomorrow.' Said Natsu.

Juvia blinked in surprise at Natsu's sudden mood changes, before wondering where the bed was.

'Um, Natsu, where is the bed?' Asked Juvia.

'Oh there it is.' Said Natsu, pointing to a shabby hammock, hung off a tree and attached to the roof.

Juvia sweat-dropped at this.

"Juvia thinks this might have been a mistake." Thought Juvia.

 _-line break-_

'Eh! What the hell, how did all of that happen yesterday?' Shouted Natsu in shock, after hearing that Gray, Happy and Erza had followed Lucy home, thinking she was leaving Fairy Tail, only to find out that she wasn't. Oh, and that she was also vastly wealthy.

'It isn't a big deal Natsu. They didn't even need to come in the first place.' Said Lucy slightly embarrassed.

'What do you mean? This is huge!' Said Natsu, before dropping to the floor and bowing in apology, not too dissimilar, to the way he had when Lucy bought him food in Hargeon.

'S-stop it Natsu, I said it was fine!' Shouted Lucy in embarrassment.

Juvia meanwhile, was standing behind a tree and watching anxiously.

"Maybe Juvia needs to be more worried about love rival after all." Thought Juvia.

 _-line break-_

'Um, Makarov you aren't sleeping are you? We're in the middle of your hearing… you're not asleep, are you?' Asked a frog-like creature.

Makarov suddenly awoke and nervously chuckled.

'Don't be silly, of course not.' Said Makarov anxiously.

A few of the Councillors looked amused, but most looked irritated.

'In any case, we have decided that Fairy Tail, in regards to the recent battle between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail is: not guilty.' Announced the Chairman of the Magic Council, Crawford Seam.

'However, there is another matter to discuss.' Continued Crawford, from his place in the shadows.

Makarov sat up a little straighter at this, in apprehension.

'From the reports, it seems that the mage known as Salamander, Natsu Dragneel, managed to defeat not only two of the Element Four, but also, the Ace of Phantom Lord, the one known as Black Steel, Gajeel Redfox.' Said the Chairman.

A few of the Council members looked disgruntled at this, especially with Natsu being a major cause of the destruction, which occurs as a result of Fairy Tail's actions.

'To defeat three S-Class mages is no mean feat. To think, he is not even one himself.' Commented Siegrain, a good looking blue haired man, with a strange marking over his right eye.

'Indeed, Gajeel Redfox is no pushover.' Added Councilwoman Belno, a rather old, blond haired woman, who had a soft spot for Gajeel.

'Yes, Natsu has proved a fierce character, even being part of the team that beat Lullaby and fought against Deliora.' Added Yajima, a short old man, with rather large eyebrows and a small moustache.

'If only he didn't cause so much destruction.' Commented Ultear fondly, a young, dark haired woman.

'Ho, that's Natsu I suppose. Although, the people do love him, even with his reckless behaviour.' Commented Makarov jovially.

'Hmm, that is an interesting point indeed, Makarov.' Said the Chairman.

'What are you thinking, Chairman?' Questioned Org, a tall grey haired man with a rather long beard.

'In light of the Lullaby incident and now this inter-guild battle as well, there have been unfavourable things said about the Council and our responsiveness.' Said Crawford carefully.

Makarov listened on in interest at this.

'However, if the Council were to have a new face representing them, one that is undoubtedly loved by most, it would do well for our image.' Continued Crawford.

"I-impossible." Thought Makarov in shock, beginning to see where Crawford was going with this.

'For that reason, in light of recent events, I suggest that we grant the mage known as Salamander, Natsu Dragneel, the Tenth Wizard Saint position, on the condition that he tones down his destruction.' Said the Chairman, getting numerous shocked looks, even from Makarov.

'Surely you jest, Chairman! Natsu Dragneel has been a thorn in our side for years now!' Said Org in surprise.

'Well, his reasons are valid. Not to mention, if he does tone down his destructive tendencies, this could make him less of a problem to deal with.' Commented Siegrain calmly.

'I agree. It would also place the Council in better stead, in the eyes of the public.' Added Ultear.

'B-but Natsu isn't even an S-Class mage!' Shouted Makarov in surprise.

'That may be the case, however, his reputation is well known… destructive tendencies aside. He is viewed rather fondly by most.' Said Crawford.

'Hmm, perhaps some responsibility would be good for young Natsu.' Said Yajima, getting Makarov to look at him in surprise.

'He is too reckless.' Grunted Michello, a short cat-like man.

'I agree, hence why I proposed this idea. Does anyone have any objection to Natsu Dragneel becoming a Wizard Saint, if he manages to curb his destructive tendencies?' Asked the Chairman calmly.

There was some discontent muttering, but no real objection, which caused Makarov to blink in shock.

'Then, under the condition that he curb his destructive tendencies, Natsu Dragneel is awarded the Tenth Wizard Saint position.' Declared Crawford.

"W-what just happened?" Thought Makarov in shock.

 _-line break-_

'Mira, what is it?' Asked Cana, seeing a surprised Mirajane return to the bar.

'Master Makarov just contacted me about the Council's decision.' Said Mira plainly.

'What happened? Are we in trouble?' Asked Cana nervously.

'Actually, Fairy Tail was found not guilty and we can take jobs again now as well.' Said Mira, getting people to rush her in excitement, wanting to go on a job.

'What else Mira, you look surprised?' Asked Cana, which made most of the guild pause and notice the same thing.

'Well, it seems that in order to appear better in the eyes of the public, they have announced a new Wizard Saint.' Answered Mira.

'How does that concern us?' Asked Cana curiously, as she took a drink of alcohol from her barrel.

'They choose Natsu.' Said Mira, causing Cana to spit her beer all over everyone.

'What?' Shouted the entire guild in surprise, before looking at Natsu in shock.

'Him?' They all asked in unison, pointing to Natsu, who was currently looking up at the sky, with his hands behind his head.

'Hey screw you guys! What did you all do against Phantom Lord?' Shouted Natsu indignantly.

'Well, I suppose it is true that Natsu took out their Ace and two of their S-Class mages, but a Wizard Saint.' Said Cana, before a table was suddenly thrown into the guild.

'You dare say that!' Shouted Erza.

'Hmm, I'll say it again then. This guild doesn't need weaklings.' Said Laxus Dreyar, S-Class mage and grandson of Makarov Dreyar.

'You bastard.' Said Erza venomously.

'To be looked down upon by a guild like Phantom Lord… how embarrassing. I couldn't face anyone.' Said Laxus, before turning to Team Shadow Gear and harshly insulting them.

Natsu clenched his fist, hearing Laxus' cold words.

'Laxus this matter is closed. There was no talk of blame from the start. You didn't participate in the fight and you don't need to add oil to the fire. Master said that.' Said Mira, all the while, Natsu was beginning to have heat and steam, waft off his form.

'Of course it doesn't have anything to do with me… but if I was there, I wouldn't get beaten up horribly.' Said Laxus, causing Natsu's rage to reach boiling point.

'But you weren't there.' Said Natsu quietly, as he stood up and walked towards Laxus.

'Ho, what's this Natsu? Do you suddenly think you can match me?' Asked Laxus, goading Natsu.

'You weren't there. You were too good to defend your guild.' Said Natsu quietly, getting many of the guild to look at him in surprise.

"T-this is just like before." Thought Happy nervously.

'What guild? A bunch of weaklings is no guild of mine.' Laughed Laxus.

Laxus then blinked in surprise, as he just narrowly avoided a fist, which slammed into the bench he was sitting on, obliterating it.

'If you keep badmouthing the guild… I'll knock your lights out, Laxus.' Growled Natsu angrily.

'Haha you think you can touch me?' Questioned Laxus mockingly, before feeling a fist plant itself in his gut and launch him into a tree.

'Just did.' Said Natsu, as the steam coming off him intensified.

The guild was shocked at this new development, barring Happy.

"It's happening." Thought Happy nervously.

'Tch, you got a lucky hit there, Natsu. Although, I'm surprised you even managed to hit me once. I guess you have gotten stronger, unlike the rest of this weak guild.' Commented Laxus appraisingly.

Natsu didn't respond and merely stared Laxus down, his eyes beginning to turn white.

'What, no snappy retort?' Questioned Laxus, before dodging another fist from Natsu, which smashed through the tree behind him, sending it crashing to the ground.

Laxus opened his mouth to taunt Natsu, but a kick suddenly slammed into his chest, sending him flying back.

The heat swirling around Natsu was so intense now, that most of the guild unconsciously stepped back.

"So this is the power that Natsu defeated Phantom Lord with." Thought Erza in awe.

'That's twice now, Natsu. Do you want me to get serious here?' Asked Laxus menacingly, as he flung his cape off his shoulders.

Natsu didn't respond, but the steam swirling around him intensified, with small flames beginning to emerge.

'Don't ignore me, Natsu!' Shouted Laxus, as he turned into lightning and quickly launched an uppercut to Natsu's gut, which caused him to double over.

'Laxus that's enough!' Shouted Erza.

'Heh, all talk after all.' Said Laxus, before Natsu looked up and blasted him with a wave of blistering fire, from his wide open maw.

Laxus roared in pain, as he used his arms to block the attack, just in time to protect his face, before he turned into lightning again and retreated. Laxus looked at his forearms, and saw his shirt had nearly been destroyed by that last attack. Angrily, Laxus gripped his shirt and tore it off, revealing his muscular upper body.

'Do you want a fight that much, Natsu!' Shouted Laxus, as sparks of lightning started to cover his form.

The guild looked on nervously. Laxus had never taken Natsu seriously before and no one had ever seen Natsu like this before either, excluding Lucy and Happy.

'I said that's enough!' Shouted Erza, as she walked closer to the pair.

'Don't try to order me around Erza! You might have the rest of this guild cowering in your wake, but you are nothing to me!' Shouted Laxus angrily.

'No, she is right, this is enough.' Said a voice, immediately after which, most of the guild started to feel sleepy.

One by one, everyone started to drop where they stood, falling asleep. Erza struggled to stay awake, but couldn't. Using some of her remaining strength, she saw Natsu wasn't even affected at all.

"Natsu… just how much have you grown?" Thought Erza, before falling to the ground asleep.

A man wearing a dark blue cloak, a bandanna and bandages wrapped around his limbs, emerged from the tree line.

'The guild is still recovering, Laxus. This isn't the time for this.' Said the figure.

'What are you doing here, Mystogan?' Asked Laxus, calming down somewhat.

'I came here… after I had destroyed all of Phantom Lord's subdivisions.' Said Mystogan simply.

Laxus merely grunted.

'If you didn't fight Laxus, you shouldn't be provoking the others at this time.' Said Mystogan softly.

'This guild is weak, full of weaklings.' Retorted Laxus, getting Natsu to growl.

'Be that as it may, your opinion of weak is rather biased. This guild is strong Laxus, you just don't see it that way.' Said Mystogan, as he walked over to Natsu.

'Why are you turning your back on me Mystogan? Do you not view me as a worthy opponent?' Questioned Laxus.

'You are a worthy opponent, but this is not the time, Laxus.' Said Mystogan, as he glared at Laxus.

'*hmph* Fine then, but our time will come.' Said Laxus, as he walked over to his cloak and picked it up, before walking off.

'Indeed.' Said Mystogan with a nod, before he placed a hand on Natsu's head and disappeared with him, in a miasma of mist.

The members of the guild groaned, as they came to their senses.

'Ugh, what happened?' Asked Lucy.

'Mystogan.' Said Erza, loud enough for everyone to hear.

'What happened to Natsu and Laxus?' Asked Gray.

'I don't know… but Natsu didn't fall asleep when Mystogan used his magic.' Said Erza.

'Whoa really? Guess Natsu has become stronger than we thought, especially with him being a Wizard Saint now.' Said Cana, which caused both Gray and Erza to clench their fists.

'Gray, Lucy, let's go on a job.' Said Erza suddenly.

'Eh?' Said Lucy in surprise.

'Ever since Eisenwald, the three of us, along with Natsu and Happy, have kept gathering together, almost like a team.' Said Erza.

'What about Natsu though?' Asked Happy.

'I'm not sure, but he will be fine if he is with Mystogan. We even have a job already! Attack the illegal magic school in Lobinasu City's rural district. Let's go.' Said Erza.

Not wanting to anger Erza, the two mages and flying cat agreed.

After the rest of the mages had all taken jobs, Mira was left alone at the bar. A short while later, Mira heard grumbling.

'Stupid Mystogan, taking me to the edge of Magnolia.' Muttered Natsu.

'Oh, Natsu, we were all wondering where you went. Erza, Gray, Lucy and Happy even went on a job already.' Said Mira chirpily.

'Seriously! They all left me here….' Ranted Natsu sullenly.

'Yes and most of the jobs are gone now too.' Said Mira, with a smile, causing Natsu to groan.

'Are there any left?' Asked Natsu in exasperation.

'Well, there is one, but it might be dangerous for you on your own.' Said Mira worriedly.

'Don't worry Mira, I can handle it.' Said Natsu proudly.

'Ok, but it is a job to take down a large group of bandits, which have been roaming around Crocus.' Warned Mira.

'That's fine, I'll take care of it easily!' Said Natsu happily.

'Ok Mr Wizard Saint.' Giggled Mira, before remembering something.

'Oh, but I just remembered, the Council apparently said that if you are overly destructive, they'll take the title back from you.' Said Mira.

'Oh man, really? That's fine I guess, I'll just be careful.' Grumbled Natsu.

'Have fun.' Said Mira.

'Yeah, see you soon, Mira.' Said Natsu, with a wave, as he headed off.

 _-line break-_

Makarov was sitting on a high ledge of the guild, drinking a mug of beer.

'Retire eh?' Muttered Makarov, remembering what his old friend Yajima had told him.

'The guild building has been changed to a new one… if that's the case, the master should be new too.' Said Makarov thoughtfully, before going over the list of possible candidates in his mind, before a cheerful voice snapped him out of it.

'Master, so you were hiding here.' Said Mirajane pleasantly.

Makarov grunted in surprise.

'It looks like something happened again.' Said Mira, with a smile.

'Hmm?' Said Makarov questioningly.

'It seems Erza and gang destroyed half a stretch of road doing their job.' Said Mira, getting Makarov to blanch in shock.

'What about Natsu?' Asked Makarov quickly.

'Oh Natsu, he went on a different job.' Said Mira.

'What happened? Did he destroy anything?' Asked Makarov anxiously.

'Ara, well actually, he completed the whole job without causing any damage. He just knocked all the bandits out quickly and tied them up.' Said Mira, with the same chipper expression as always.

Makarov nearly fell of the ledge in disbelief.

'S-seriously!' Shouted Makarov in shock.

'I know, it is surprising, isn't it? He even fought with Laxus before, when he started badmouthing the guild. He even hit Laxus twice and made him get serious.' Said Mira pleasantly.

Makarov keeled over in shock.

'Ara, Master, are you ok up there?' Asked Mira cheerfully.

"W-what… what happened to Natsu?" Thought Makarov in shock, before leaping into the air.

'Woohoo! No more compensation payments from the Council!' Shouted Makarov in joy.

'But Master, as I was saying before, the Council is requesting compensation for Erza's job.' Said Mira, causing Makarov to drop again.

'Of course, even if Natsu was the biggest problem… the whole guild is a problem! How can I retire like this?' Shouted Makarov in dismay.


	3. Family and Friends

**Well, to begin with, let me just say, I've had a sudden bout of inspiration for this story and don't really know why…**

 **What I can say, is that as I was writing, I just kept adding more and more and eventually, went past 10K+ words for the chapter, so, much like for WHBTS, I split it into two.**

 **I just don't like having exceedingly long chapters; between 4-8K words is my sweet spot.  
Any more than that and I'm always tempted to split them, as in a longer chapter, I sometimes find myself forgetting what happened earlier. This way, I can keep on top of everything and it makes proofreading easier.**

 **I will also take this time quickly, to fill you in on a few things with me right now.  
I'm on break now… well, technically finished, since I finished my degree, but I start my medicine degree next year. That being said, this brings a whole new slew of problems with it, so, I've set up a , where people can support me, so I don't end up needing to take a hiatus from writing.**

 **There is an explanation in more detail on my profile and on my page, the link to which is on my profile page, but basically, I need some monetary assistance to be able to continue writing. I understand not everyone is well off, financially, but any help would be greatly appreciated.**

 **I'm also going through all my stories now and giving them an update so if you are waiting on a story of mine, which hasn't been updated recently, it will be soon.**

 **That being said, next week may have fewer updates, since it will be a very busy week for me, including my graduation and trip to the hospital for possible surgery (hopefully not though).**

 **However, I will try to write a few chapters in preparation for this, so I don't go a week without updating, as so far, since mid-late November, I've been fairly consistent at having a new chapter up, every three days or so, which is also helping me not burn out, like I did during my mid-year break, when I had a new chapter every day, which nearly destroyed me.**

 **As for the harem poll, I find it interesting how it is going right now. The next two chapters will feature the current (well, current at the time of typing this), top two, which is also what helped me get my idea for the next chapter. I love character dynamics and the main feature of this chapter, is one of those characters, who can always stir things up, which should make things interesting if I do, do a harem. Remember, it could just be Natsu/Juvia, if that option gets enough votes.**

 **That being said, I will come back to Juvia in more detail, in the chapter after next and slowly work my way back towards E.N.D. and all things related to him. Although, at this point, it is worth pointing out, that after next chapter, you will see I'm changing a few team dynamics as well (non-romantic dynamics), for a more interesting competition, between the characters involved.**

 **As for the E.N.D. stuff though, quite frankly, there is no need for me to rush it. I'm toying with different discovery rates of E.N.D. through all my stories, with, A Demon's Rebirth, The Beginning of the E.N.D. and Wheel of Fortune, having him know everything from the start, A Third Chance having him learn things progressively over time, this story, which will include brief snippets of his life and lastly, A Jade Princess's Dragon, which is going to be a loooooooong time coming. Like really long…**

 **Well, that's all for now, so enjoy the chapter.  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 3 – Family and Friends

'*sigh*, another mission alone… well, at least this time, you joined me, Happy.' Sighed Natsu, hands behind his head, as he walked back to Fairy Tail, Happy walking next to him.

'Aye. Erza and Gray have been going on a lot of missions lately and they've been bringing Lucy along, but they never buy me any fish and destroy everything. Since you stopped destroying things, you have more money for fish.' Said Happy happily.

'Yeah, but this is a bit of a pain. I have to be really careful these days not to destroy things.' Continued Natsu unhappily.

'Well, you can think of it as good training to control your powers.' Suggested Happy.

'Hmm, yeah, that's better, I'm training to control my powers.' Said Natsu, perking up.

The two continued their walk in silence, before finally reaching the guild. Natsu entered and gave a small sniff, before frowning, after which, he walked up to the bar.

'Hey Mira, have you seen Erza, Lucy, or the stripper today?' Asked Natsu.

The white haired barmaid stopped wiping down a mug and set it on the countertop, before answering the Dragon Slayer.

'Sorry Natsu, they took a job early this morning.' Said Mira, with a soft smile.

'Again? Aw man.' Said Natsu, before sitting himself down on a nearby stool and resting his head on the tabletop, left cheek to the table, so he could still see Mira.

'Any chance they'll be back soon?' Asked Natsu hopefully.

'Sorry Natsu, it was pretty far away, so they might be a day or two.' Answered Mira, causing the Dragon Slayer to sigh.

'Man, this sucks! First I become a Wizard Saint so I have to stop destroying things, but now I'm usually alone on all my missions too.' Grumbled Natsu.

'Hey, what about me?' Piped in an indignant Happy, as he hopped onto the countertop next to Natsu's face.

'It isn't the same thing Happy, you're my partner and are supposed to be with me all the time.' Mumbled Natsu.

'Fine then, ask someone else to go with you on your next job.' Huffed Happy, turning his back on Natsu.

'Oh come on Happy, you know that coming with me means extra fish.' Said Natsu tiredly.

'Fish… I mean, some things are more important… I can't say it, nothing is more important than fish, but I'm not coming on the next job.' Said Happy unhappily.

'It isn't like there are a lot of people I can go on jobs with in this guild anyway… I might have been one of the most destructive, but pretty much everyone else is too.' Said Natsu tiredly.

'Well, Levy isn't.' Suggested Mira.

'Yeah, but I don't think our mission interests line up, Levy usually does translations and stuff.' Responded Natsu.

'Hmm… what about someone like Macao, or Wakaba?' Asked Mira, placing her right index finger under her chin in thought.

'They're more destructive than you think…' Muttered Natsu.

'You could always ask Laki. She isn't very destructive.' Continued Mira.

'I don't know… I kind of get this odd vibe from her…' Said Natsu, with a small frown.

'What about Max then?' Suggested Mira.

'He's busy, working on some new project or something.' Said Natsu tiredly.

'What about you Mira?' Suggested Happy, surprising both Natsu and Mira.

'Me?' Asked a surprised Mira.

'Hmm, that's not a bad idea, you're probably the least destructive person in this guild.' Said Natsu thoughtfully.

'But I don't have any magic.' Pointed out Mira.

'All the same, that means you won't cause any destruction, it's perfect.' Said Natsu.

'I don't know Natsu, what about the guild?' Asked Mira hesitantly.

'Ho, go ahead my dear, I can manage for a day.' Said Makarov, as he dropped down on the stool next to Natsu.

'Are you sure about this Master?' Asked Mira uncertainly.

'Of course! It would be good for you to go out and get some fresh air for once. Here, I even took the liberty of picking out a job for you. Nice and simple, an item search. Normally this would be something for Cana, but she is already off on a fortune telling job and with Natsu's nose, it shouldn't be a problem.' Said Makarov pleasantly.

'Please Mira, these jobs with no company and no destruction are boring me like crazy.' Pleaded Natsu.

'Natsu, if you are crazy, how can you be bored? Hey, I'm company!' Lectured Happy, before becoming indignant towards the end.

'Are you sure Natsu? I'd only be holding you back from doing things quicker.' Said Mira hesitantly.

'None of my friends ever hold me back Mira, you all push me to get stronger.' Said Natsu firmly, as he stood up and gave Mira a very serious look.

'See my dear, go, a day won't destroy the guild.' Said Makarov.

'Okay, but just this once.' Said Mira reluctantly.

'Awesome, let's go then.' Said an excited Natsu, as he picked Mira up over the bar, plopped her beside him and then dragged her out of the guild.

'Happy, they forgot the job request, could you please take it to them?' Requested Makarov.

'Okay, but I want a fish.' Said Happy, before taking the request and following after the duo.

"I wonder if this will help. It seems Natsu's promotion has lit a fire under Erza and Gray, but it seems to be taking its toll on Natsu… with any luck, this mission may benefit Natsu greatly. Hopefully, Natsu can help Mira finally move on as well." Thought Makarov tiredly.

 _-line break-_

'Natsu, I know you're excited, but we are forgetting something.' Said an amused Mira, as Natsu continued to drag her.

'What's that?' Asked Natsu, as he paused in his jog, to look at Mira.

'The job request of course.' Said Mira, with a smile.

'Oh… whoops.' Said Natsu, with a chuckle.

'I'll give you the request if you get me a fish.' Said a flying Happy, as he finally caught up to the duo.

'Alright, I'll give you a fish.' Agreed Natsu.

'Okay then, bring me back something tasty. Master owes me one as well and I'm cashing in.' Said Happy happily, as he dropped the request in front of Natsu, who caught it, before flying back to the guild.

'Wow, is he really not coming?' Questioned Natsu in disbelief.

'Well Natsu, you should be nicer to your son after all.' Teased Mira, giving a small giggle.

'More like the bottomless pit of fish devouring fury.' Retorted Natsu, before turning around and walking off, with Mira by his side.

Luckily for Natsu, the job was just in the next town over, so they didn't need to take a train, as it would only take under an hour to walk, which, given train waiting times, was actually quicker.

'Hey, Mira… I know it has been a while since we talked about this, but are you ever going to try and be an active mage again anytime soon?' Asked Natsu quietly.

'What do you mean Natsu? I can't be a mage if I don't have any magic.' Replied Mira, with a smile, closing her eyes as she did so.

'Mira… I am a Dragon Slayer… I can practically smell the magic inside you.' Said Natsu slowly.

'Well, you must be wrong.' Said Mira amicably.

'Mira…' Said Natsu softly, before cutting the conversation short.

The walk was nearly oppressive from that point on for Natsu and made for a very awkward fifteen minutes, before Natsu spoke up again.

'Mira… she wouldn't want you to be like this.' Said Natsu quietly, causing Mira to stiffen slightly, before relaxing.

'Mira…' Said Natsu again, once Mira didn't respond.

Natsu sighed, before allowing their walk to continue in silence. After a few more painful minutes of silent walking, Mira spoke up.

'It hurts… Natsu.' Said Mira softly, but Natsu easily heard it.

'Mira… I know it was hard on you… on both of us… but she wouldn't want you to dwell on it. She always wanted us to be happy after all, especially you and Elfman.' Said Natsu.

'She always wanted you and Happy to be friendly as well.' Agreed Mira fondly.

'I know, that's why I'll buy Happy two fish, because… one of the last things she said to me, was that as the father, I'm supposed to look out for my family. If Happy is our son, that makes you the aunt, you know.' Said Natsu, with a small chuckle.

Mira didn't reply instantly, making Natsu a little apprehensive, before she finally spoke.

'It just hurts… even after all this time, it still hurts… why does it still hurt, Natsu?' Asked Mira shakily.

'It hurts because of how much we cared for her. As long as it still hurts… we won't forget her.' Said Natsu sadly, getting Mira to look at him.

'Natsu… you mean you as well…' Said Mira sadly.

'Yeah, I haven't really moved on yet either, but I have to do something, you know? If there is one thing she helped me understand, it is; that as long as I have my friends, things won't be that bad.' Said Natsu sadly, which caused Mira to realise something.

'Natsu, you know Lucy, Erza and Gray are still your friends', right?' Asked Mira in surprise.

'Maybe… I think so. I'm not sure why they're avoiding me though. I mean, is it because I'm a Wizard Saint now? Don't they like it? I didn't upset them in any way, did I?' Asked Natsu uncertainly.

'Natsu, they aren't upset with you.' Said Mira softly, before Natsu said something that surprised her.

'I haven't seen them in five days.' Revealed Natsu.

Mira gave a small frown at this and moved closer to Natsu.

'Natsu, you know Gray and Erza, they're both really competitive. I'm sure that you becoming a Wizard Saint just surprised them and they want to get stronger to catch up with you.' Suggested Mira.

'But… it is like they are ignoring me. I mean, I don't even see them anymore. I've seen Mystogan more times these past few days than them, and he barely shows up at all.' Confessed Natsu.

Mira grasped Natsu hand, causing him to look down.

'Natsu, no matter what, you know the guild is your family.' Said Mira sternly.

'I know, but aren't friends supposed to stick together or something?' Asked Natsu morosely.

'Well, just like you and Happy, sometimes friends have problems that they need to work through. For what it's worth, I see you every day and I'm your friend, aren't I?' Asked Mira, as she squeezed Natsu's hand lightly.

'…Yeah, you're right Mira.' Said Natsu, with a small smile.

'Now then, let's go find the client, since we are finally here.' Said Mira, as she let go of Natsu's hand and gestured to the sign, indicating they had reached the town their job was in.

 _-line break-_

It was a few hours later, that Juvia was hiding around a tree, looking into the partially rebuilt guild, trying to spot Natsu. Juvia could clearly see Happy, munching away on a massive salmon, but couldn't see the Dragon Slayer anywhere.

'Master, where's Mira?' Whined Wakaba unhappily.

'Mira went on a job, with Natsu.' Said Makarov, getting a few people to spit out their drinks, Cana included, who seemed to be making a habit of it recently.

'What? Seriously?' Spluttered Cana in shock.

'Yes, I even picked the job out, a simple item retrieval. I would have left it for you, Cana, but you were already off on a job.' Explained Makarov.

'That's fine, I'm thinking of taking a break for a few days now anyway, but Mira, on a mission… is that a good idea?' Asked Cana worriedly.

'Have some faith.' Said Makarov.

'I do… but I don't think she does.' Muttered Cana, with a frown.

'Why'd she go on a job with Natsu anyway?' Asked Wakaba.

'Because Natsu can't seem to get anyone from his team to go with him, since they are going off on jobs on their own, without him… and causing so much damage.' Said Makarov, before tearing up at the end.

"Natsu is lonely… like Juvia was." Realised Juvia.

'Anyway, I need to go take a quick leak, Happy, watch the bar for a minute and I'll give you another fish.' Said Makarov.

'Aye sir!' Cheered Happy in excitement.

Juvia stealthily made her way around the guild, until she could see Makarov disappear into a room. Turning her body into water, she seeped into the building until she was just a little away from the door, hiding behind a support pillar.

When Makarov came out, he didn't go back downstairs immediately, which made Juvia realise, he had probably noticed her. Hesitantly, Juvia walked closer to Makarov, before clearing her throat softly.

'Hmm, hello young lady, what are you doing here?' Asked Makarov.

'Juvia… Juvia would like to join Fairy Tail.' Said Juvia nervously, shifting to the side, wondering if she would be denied.

'Hmm, is there any particular reason why?' Asked Makarov curiously.

'Natsu is lonely and Juvia knows how it feels to be lonely… Juvia doesn't want Natsu to be lonely, when he made Juvia happy for once in her life.' Confessed Juvia.

'Okay then.' Said Makarov with a grin, surprising Juvia.

'Eh, just like that?' Asked Juvia taken aback.

'Hoho, Fairy Tail would never refuse someone, especially someone with such a noble reason.' Said Makarov.

"Or someone with such assets, hoho Natsu sure is lucky." Thought Makarov perversely.

'Come now, we can get you your mark in a moment.' Said Makarov, before walking downstairs to see chaos.

Beer everywhere, barrels, mugs, smashed tables. It looked like a bomb had been dropped in the brief time he had left the place.

'What happened?' Asked Makarov, as his jaw dropped to the floor.

Makarov looked around the guild, before spotting a blue furred creature, with a distended stomach.

'So… much… fish.' Drooled Happy.

 _-line break-_

'How does someone lose a necklace months ago and then, suddenly decide to ask for someone to find it for them?' Asked Natsu, with a hint of exasperation.

'Well, Natsu, if you don't look for something immediately, it can be easily forgotten.' Said Mira, as the duo walked back to the guild, after their completed mission.

Natsu frowned a little and looked at Mira. Her words easily applied to her as well.

'So, in that case, if someone stops looking for something, would they ever be able to find it again?' Asked Natsu, with Mira not realising that the topic of conversation had just shifted.

'Hmm, well, I suppose someone else could find it for them. Like for our job today of course.' Answered Mira thoughtfully.

'What about if someone was searching for something, which another person didn't want found?' Asked Natsu curiously.

Mira stopped walking at this point, having realised where Natsu was going with this now.

'Natsu… why are you pushing this?' Asked Mira quietly.

'Mira… don't you think she would have wanted you to move on? I know I can't really talk, since I haven't fully moved on as well, but at least I'm still out there trying… trying to help keep the happiness that she brought to the guild alive.' Said Natsu, just as quiet, as he also stopped walking.

'Natsu, you don't understand. From the very beginning, my magic was always a curse. A curse that forced us all to leave our village. A curse that made everyone look at me with disgust. A curse… that took my little sister from me.' Said Mira, before tears started to roll down her cheeks.

Natsu fidgeted a little, clearly uncomfortable with his next course of action, which Mira noticed, when Natsu pulled her into a hug, but remained rather rigid.

'But Mira, that same magic brought you to Fairy Tail. That same magic gave you the ability to help others. That same magic… is the magic of your family. Even if she is gone… you still have the same magic and that ties you to them. It is a bond that will stay with you forever…' Said Natsu, his expression softening as he looked up.

Mira pulled her head out of his chest and noticed his forlorn gaze.

'Do you mean like with you and Igneel?' Asked Mira, stifling her tears for now.

'Yeah… even now, every time I use my magic, it is like he is still here with me, inside me, part of my magic.' Explained Natsu fondly.

'Well, well, look what we have here.' Said a mocking voice, which grabbed both Natsu and Mira's attention, causing them to break their embrace.

A dozen thugs or so, had made their way out of the tree line. A few were wearing black vests in a style similar to Natsu, while a few others had hooded jackets or simple singlets. Their lower clothing varied in a similar manner between shorts and baggy pants. All-in-all, they looked rather scruffy and not as intimidating, as they no doubt hoped they were.

Natsu merely starred back at the thugs unimpressed.

'What do you guys want?' Asked Natsu sourly.

'Well, you just happen to be trespassing on our turf and that's going to cost you.' Said the apparent leader of the thugs, who had also spoken earlier.

'Really? Do you guys even realise who I am?' Grumbled Natsu in annoyance.

'No, although, I certainly recognise Mirajane Strauss, one of the top models for Sorcerer Magazine. What do you say beautiful, how about joining my well-groomed friends and I for some fun?' Offered the sleazebag, currently causing Natsu to growl.

'Ara, I appreciate the offer, but I must get back and look after the guild, I'm sure you understand.' Said Mira, who unlike Natsu, was familiar with people like this.

'That's a shame, it is always a disappointment when the girls aren't willing. I don't enjoy the fight very much.' Said the thug, in faux sadness.

Mira's eyes closed, as her smile tightened.

'Ara, that doesn't sound very nice.' Said Mira, still in the same tone as always.

'Oh, believe me, it starts to sound nice after a while, although, I wonder what you would sound like.' Said the thug lecherously.

Unbeknownst to either party, Natsu's growling had intensified and wisps of steam were starting to softly float off his form. While the two verbal jousters didn't notice this though, the other thugs did.

'Um, boss, maybe we should just let them pass.' Said one of the thugs, who was getting a nagging feeling, that he should have recognised Natsu from somewhere.

'Wha? What're you talking about, I'm having a lively discussion with a beauty over here?' Questioned the lead thug in annoyance.

'Um, him.' Said the same thug, pointing at Natsu, causing the lead thug to turn to Natsu, who now had steam rolling off him in waves, with small embers forming around his mouth.

'Please, my magic can deal with a snarling puppy.' Scoffed the leader, before walking over to Mira, and getting very close to her face.

'Now, why don't you come with us quietly, so I don't have to rough up that pretty face of yours?' Suggested the thug, before feeling a strong hand grip his left arm tightly.

'Get away from Mira.' Growled Natsu.

'Oh, is that so?' Questioned the thug.

'You're damn right.' Growled Natsu.

'Why don't you make me?' Taunted the thug.

The next thing the thug knew, he was being hurled back towards his compatriots roughly, a small burn on his arm.

'Keh… that actually hurt a little. I was going to be nice about it, but now, we'll just have to beat pinky into the ground and then, we can take our sweet time with the girl.' Growled the lead thug.

Natsu growled at this, eyes beginning to flicker.

'Oh, don't like that? Well, too bad, we're all going to take turns with that whore over there and make you watch.' Mocked the thug, which pushed Natsu over the edge, as his eyes went completely white once again.

Natsu opened his mouth wide and launched blistering hot white flames at the group. Their cries of pain caused Mira to gasp in surprise, as they sounded to be in immense agony. Add to the fact, that Mira had never seen Natsu attack someone so viciously before, although, that being said, she hadn't ever seen Natsu fight seriously before, considering she only ever saw him fight during guild brawls. There was the one spar with Erza, which had been interrupted, but this seemed more akin to how Natsu fought with Laxus recently, only his opponents were nowhere near as strong as Laxus.

'Bastard!' Shouted the lead thug once again, having been able to create a wall of mud in front of him, which had nullified the fire aimed at him just in time, but still caused him to experience uncomfortable heats all around him.

Natsu suddenly charged forward and punched through the mud wall, causing it to crumble, while also nailing the thug in the face.

'Take this!' Shouted the thug, as spiked projections of earth shot out at Natsu.

Natsu swiftly dodged them, closing in on the thug, who was getting increasingly more nervous, the closer Natsu got to him. The thug blinked and Natsu was suddenly inside his guard, crouching down slightly, so he was at chest level with the thug. As he looked up, the thug felt as though he was looking at a demon, white eyes with fire and wisps of steam pouring out of his mouth. His moment of shock, turned into a wave of pain, as Natsu opened his maw wide and unleashed scalding flames at the thug, launching him back in agony.

As the thug lay there whining piteously, Natsu slowly walked towards him, carefully and methodically, avoiding all the other downed thugs, that hadn't been lucky enough to dodge his first roar.

Natsu neared the thug, who looked to be on the verge of passing out, but managed to look up at Natsu fearfully.

'W-what are you?' Asked the thug fearfully.

'End… yours.' Rasped Natsu, as fire burst around his fist.

The thug couldn't take anymore. Between the pain and fear he had already experienced at Natsu's hands, he promptly passed out. As Natsu prepared to end the life of the despicable human in front of him, he felt someone wrap their arms around him.

'Natsu, that's enough.' Whispered Mira, which caused Natsu to pause.

Natsu stepped back with Mira still holding onto him, causing him to stumble, before he leaned forward and retched a small wisp of white fire.

'I've got to stop making a habit of that.' Muttered Natsu, before passing out.

Mira slowly lowered Natsu to the ground, before tensing up, when she heard someone approach.

'Ah, how fortunate for me, that things went even better than planned. I had been all prepared to fight Salamander, but now he has taken himself out of the equation for me.' Said a man, with a haughty undertone.

The man was reasonably well built and possessed long blonde hair which cascaded down his back. He wore a white suit, with a yellow tie and possessed brown eyes.

'Who are you?' Asked Mira defensively.

'Ah, I'm the one who hired these unsavoury characters to retrieve you for me.' Declared the man, stepping over a body, as he approached Mira.

'You see, you are a rather hard person to track down in isolation, what with you being at your guild all the time; so imagine my surprise, when a perfect opportunity arrived; you, leaving the guild, with only one other person. A golden opportunity.' Said the man, stopping a few metres away from Mira and the downed Natsu.

'What do you want with me?' Asked Mira cautiously.

'Nothing sinister, I only want you, nothing more.' Said the man, with a charming smile.

'Well, I'm sorry, but I must refuse your offer.' Said Mira calmly.

'I see, I expected as much, so let me rephrase things.' Said the man, before pointing his right palm at Natsu.

'Come with me now, or I'll electrocute your little friend over there. Normally, I would stand no chance against the great Salamander, hence the unsavoury hired help, but in his state currently, even I could defeat him.' Said the man, as lighting started to dance around his fingertips.

'I won't let you.' Declared Mira adamantly.

'Ah, well, my dear, you can't stop me. Only by coming with me, will I spare your friend.' Said the blond, giving a malicious grin.

'Monster.' Spat Mira angrily.

'Monster? That boy who spews fire from his mouth and destroys everything around is a monster. A raging brute. Don't compare someone as refined as me, to a wild beast.' Scoffed the man.

Mira frowned, but didn't respond.

'Now, I won't repeat myself, come with me now, or your friend will suffer.' Declared the man, charging up a ball of electricity in his palm.

Mira's expression darkened at this.

'Don't you dare.' Growled Mira.

In the next instant, the ball of electricity had left the man's palm and slammed into Natsu's shoulder, sending him rolling away.

Mira growled at seeing the singe mark on Natsu's right shoulder.

'Oops, I missed. Next time, I'll aim for the head more accurately, and that will be the end of the Salamander.' Laughed the man.

'Don't touch him!' Shouted Mira, as she ran over to Natsu and put herself in between him and the man currently threatening him.

'*sigh* I thought something like this may happen, so I came prepared.' Said the man tiredly, before snapping his fingers, causing two men, clothed in black, like ninjas, hiding their faces and their entire bodies, to drop down on either side of Mira.

'Please restrain Mirajane, and do be gentle about it.' Requested the man, to which the two ninja quickly appeared on either side of Mira, grabbed her arms between them and pulled her away from Natsu, despite her struggling.

'Natsu! Natsu wake up!' Shouted Mira worriedly, as the suit wearing man walked closer to Natsu.

Natsu didn't even stir and Mira's worry grew, when the man now had his hand aimed at Natsu, right over his head.

'Now, I highly doubt I will miss at this point, so I will ask again, will you come with me, Mira dear?' Requested the man.

'Fine, but leave Natsu alone.' Huffed Mira, causing the man to disperse his attack.

'Splendid, and don't worry my dear, we have our whole lives to get to know each other. Let me begin the learning process. Something you don't know about me.' Said the man with a smile, as he turned back to Natsu momentarily, before looking back to Mira.

'I'm a terrible liar at times.' Said the man, as he gathered his magic again.

'No wait! Stop!' Shouted Mira, struggling against her captors.

'Sorry Salamander, nothing personal, just business… although that business is personal, so, take it however you will.' Smirked the man.

"Natsu… Elfman… why am I so weak? Why can't I ever do anything right?" Thought Mira in dismay.

 _"I can practically smell the magic inside you… she wouldn't want you to be like this… as long as it still hurts… we won't forget her… as long as I have my friends, things won't be that bad… if someone stops looking for something, would they ever be able to find it again?"_

Mira recalled Natsu's words as he came closer and closer to death.

" _That same magic gave you the ability to help others."_

 _"Big sis."_

 _"Mira."_

"Not again. Elfman and Phantom, Natsu now… and Lisanna then… not again, never again." Thought Mira fiercely. __

Mira suddenly let out a loud wail, which caused the blond haired man to pause in his attack. Looking towards his soon-to-be bride, he saw a purple aura wafting off her. A large magic circle appeared above her and blanketed the skies, turning them dark. Mira's wail intensified and started to become deeper in pitch.

"What's happening?" Thought the blond haired man in shock, as Mira's hair started to rise and a crack started to spread across her face.

The two ninja either side of Mira, were blown away by the power Mira was releasing and slammed harshly into the trees around them all, knocking them out. Mira's clothing was also changing, becoming a dark, skimpy one-piece suit, revealing her arms and legs. Scales started to cover her arms and a large stocky tail burst from her back.

Once Mira had finished transforming, she gave a look which would have chilled many men to their bone.

'Tch, so you're just a freak like the rest of them.' Said the blond haired man distastefully.

Mira's eyes narrowed.

'Never, insult my magic!' Roared Mira, before lunging at the man and punching him harshly in the chest, sending him flying.

The man flipped in mid-air, before landing on his feet.

'I see, since you're a freak as well, I'll just put you down first, then finish off Salamander.' Said the man nonplussed.

Mira growled at this.

'You've tested my patience too much today and I'm not going to play around with a worm.' Snarled Mira.

'Like you even stand a chance against me.' Laughed the man, with an arrogant smirk.

'Disappear! **Evil Explosion**!' Said Mira, as she held her hands together and a dark coloured sphere gathered on her palm.

The attack was launched so quickly, that there was no time to prepare a defense and the blond haired man was enveloped by the attack and blasted back. Dozens of trees in the path of the attack were obliterated and among the rubble, was an unconscious man, wearing a badly torn suit. Mira looked at him in disdain for a minute and the demon within her, urged her to finish things, but one glance at the still downed Natsu, made her supress the urge.

Mira made her way over to Natsu and squatted down beside him. His vitals were all normal, which made Mira realise, he was only resting at this point.

'Natsu, wake up.' Said Mira firmly, grabbing his right shoulder, with her clawed hand and giving him a light shake.

It took a few more increasingly forceful shakes, before Natsu started to groan and began to move. As his eyes fluttered opened, he saw Mira's face in front of his, but it was different.

'Mira, you're using your magic!' Exclaimed Natsu, as he quickly sat up, almost hitting Mira in the head, if it wasn't for her quick reflexes, which allowed her to raise her own head swiftly, to avoid a collision.

'Well, like you said, this magic gave me the ability to help others, so it is about time I started using it again.' Said Mira, as she reverted back to her normal state.

'I knew you had it in you!' Cheered Natsu, with a grin, before sniffing something.

'Why do I smell so much ash?' Questioned Natsu, before standing up and looking around.

Mira watched, as Natsu slowly turned his head around. Surveying the battle site.

Natsu robotically turned his head back and looked at Mira.

'How am I going to explain… this?' Shouted Natsu, pointing to the destroyed tree line.

'Well, we do have someone to blame for all of this.' Said Mira, before walking over to the unconscious blond man who had caused this mess and gave him a swift kick in the ribs.

'Alright, let's just get back to the guild for now then… I'm sure someone will notice… this.' Said Natsu tiredly, only to hear the sound of rhythmic marching.

'Stop right there.' Said a bearded Rune Knight Commander, leading a platoon.

'Okay, now I know this looks bad, but I can actually explain this one.' Said Natsu, trying to placate the Rune Knights.

'Indeed you will, to the Council.' Said the Rune Knight, causing Natsu to sigh and Mira to giggle. 

**Hope you liked it, and just in case some of you are concerned/upset, I don't condone exploitation of people in any way. The fact is though, people like this exist and I want my stories to be real, not a flowery fantasy.**

 **Also, let's not forget, Bora, who was using girls for human trafficking, so I'm not exactly off base, with there being people, who do stuff like this in the Fairy Tail world (the anime making this into him recruiting for models made me eye-roll… seriously, why drug and trick girls with magic, if you were recruiting them for modelling, don't insult our intelligence anime creators).**

 **I don't tend to make a habit of darker themes in my stories, as they aren't that fun to write… but they do help with certain things sometimes… well, aside from when I directly write a darker themed story, but, out of all of them, I think only one of my Naruto stories can truly be considered a dark story.**

 **On another note, you know the person who wanted to marry Mira? Well, that person's design was taken straight from another anime I write fanfiction for. If anyone can guess who it was, I'd be genuinely surprised, as they only wore the suit for a few episodes.**


	4. Team Wizard Saint

**To start off with, you'll all be happy to know, that next chapter is done and only needs to be proofread. I've also started on the chapter after that, which will start to kick off, the Tower of Heaven arc.**

 **I'm not sure how much further I will write, before switching to a different story though. I may stop at the Tower of Heaven arc, or might go through the Oración Seis arc as well. I don't want to spend too much time on this story, as there are still five or so stories that haven't been updated for a while and I really should update them, so I make no guarantees for when I will switch stories. That being said, in my opinion, I'll probably stop at the end of the ToH arc, as I won't update this for a while, after I switch stories and I don't like leaving stories mid-arc. That being said, there is also a chance I may stop before the ToH arc starts to get going, meaning, after the next two chapters.  
However, once I do manage to update all my other stories, which are still waiting for an update, I will go back to updating across all my stories.**

 **At this point, I would once again like to mention, that I may need to take a hiatus for anywhere between 1 and 5 years, if I don't get enough support on my page. I won't bring it up again for this story, but if you can, any assistance would be appreciated.**

 **Now, in regards to last chapter and the mystery blond person.  
Well, a couple of you guessed Riser Phoenix from DxD, but that is incorrect. The character had long blond hair, brown eyes, wore a white suit and was rather arrogant…**

 **A copy of, Sharpener, from Dragon Ball Z. Seriously, I took the entire character description from him during the world tournament. I excluded the flowers he was holding, but everything else was identical, even the yellow tie. If you just google Sharpener DBZ, it is the second image that shows up, or, simply from the Dragon Ball Wiki.**

 **In case you were wondering, my DBZ story is one of the five stories that I need to update soon, along with my three Naruto stories, not including my newest one and my Pokémon story.**

 **That's all for now though, so enjoy the chapter…oh, and the manga was awesome this week!  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga all I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 4 – Team Wizard Saint

As expected, the Council hadn't been too happy, what was unexpected though, was not everyone was on the same page.

'How can you say that this is not grounds for revoking his Wizard Saint status? Almost two hectares of tree line was demolished!' Argued Michello.

'Given the circumstances, it is reasonable to understand.' Countered Siegrain.

'Indeed. Natsu has also shown restraint on all his jobs before this, since gaining the title, causing no damage at all.' Added Yajima.

'It is also worth noting, that this occurred outside of the job, after the job was completed and without any damage.' Chimed in Ultear.

Crawford Seam stroked his large beard in thought. Clearing his throat, he prepared to give the decision.

'Both sides make valid points, however, given the circumstances and evidence of change, I believe that Salamander, Natsu Dragneel, should not have his Wizard Saint title revoked, that is, assuming this was a one off incident.' Said Crawford calmly.

'You bet, I'm the least destructive mage in Fairy Tail now.' Said Natsu, with a grin.

'That being said, your previous levels of destruction are greater than many have caused in their entire lives.' Commented Ultear, with a smile, which caused Natsu to scratch his head with a sheepish expression.

'All the same, what guarantees do we have that something like this won't happen again?' Asked Org calmly.

'Well, if I may say so, most of the damage was caused by me, not Natsu and I can guarantee it won't happen again.' Chimed in Mira, standing next to Natsu in the witness stand.

'Hmm, I see. Very well then, Mirajane Strauss, you may leave and return to Fairy Tail now, an escort will be waiting for you. Natsu Dragneel, however, you need stay back for a little longer. If you would please leave now and wait outside, we have much to discuss.' Said Crawford, after which, the two mages left.

'I do not agree with this decision.' Said Michello, almost immediately after the door had shut, behind the two mages.

'There's a shock.' Muttered Siegrain sarcastically, which caused Ultear to stifle a giggle and Michello to glare at the man.

'Do not let your grudges blind you, Michello. This is the perfect opportunity to begin to spread good whispers about us. Salamander, a mage loved by all and Mirajane, a beauty loved by just as many… do you realise the potential for a story such as this? Natsu Dragneel, appointed a Wizard Saint, by the wise Council, was able to repel an attack from an unsavoury character and his group, who wished to do unsavoury things, to one of the most beloved idols of Fiore, Mirajane Strauss. We couldn't have asked for a better story to shine a positive light in our direction.' Said Crawford, with a grin.

'All the same, perhaps it would be beneficial to talk with Salamander and explain how he should proceed with this incident. I volunteer to do so, as I believe someone more his… well, someone he may feel more comfortable with, would be the best option.' Said Ultear, with a small smile.

'Why not Yajima then?' Asked Org curiously.

'Of course, Councillor Yajima is a good choice, however, the similarities he shares with Makarov Dreyar, may cause Natsu to not properly heed his words, much as he does for Makarov Dreyar. I would have also recommended Siegrain, but I'm sure he is too busy and thus, volunteered myself.' Explained Ultear.

'Hmm, that is quite reasonable, Councillor Milkovich… very well, do what you see fit.' Said Crawford thoughtfully.

'Of course, by your leave.' Said Ultear, before shimmering out of existence.

 _-line break-_

'I'll see you back at the guild, Natsu.' Said Mira.

'Yeah… hope I don't have to stay here for too long though.' Grumbled Natsu.

Mira gave a small giggle at Natsu's griping.

'Don't worry Natsu, we can always go on another job later.' Said Mira.

'Really? You mean you're going to start going on jobs again?' Asked Natsu in excitement.

'Of course, but for now, only occasionally and only if they are with you.' Said Mira, with a wink.

'Huh?' Said Natsu in confusion.

Mira gave another giggle, before leaning forward and giving Natsu a small kiss on his left cheek.

'What was that for?' Asked Natsu in confusion, as a small blush worked its way onto his face.

'Oh nothing. I just remembered how cute you looked when you cried, but your blushing is pretty cute too. See you back at the guild Natsu.' Said Mira cheerily, before heading off, leaving Natsu at the door of the Council chambers.

'My, my, just what would everything think of the rambunctious Salamander, having the poster girl of Fairy Tail, for a girlfriend?' Teased Ultear, as she approached the Dragon Slayer.

'Mira isn't my girlfriend.' Huffed Natsu, with some pink still on his cheeks.

'Oh? So you're still on the market, interesting. I'm sure after word of this incident starts to spread, many women will be pleased to hear that.' Said Ultear, with a smile.

'Huh? When word spreads? What do you mean? Why would you guys want word of this to get out? I destroyed stuff.' Said Natsu in confusion.

'Oh no, Salamander, Natsu Dragneel, the Wizard Saint, didn't destroy anything, that was all due to the work of a nefarious gang, who had less than honourable intentions for Sorcerer Weekly favourite, Mirajane Strauss… or at least that is how things will look.' Said Ultear, with a small giggle, raising her left hand over her mouth.

'Why would you guys say that? That's not the truth.' Asked Natsu suspiciously.

'Oh dear, it seems I was right to have this chat with you, but for now, let us go somewhere more comfortable, please follow me, Salamander.' Said Ultear in amusement.

Natsu grumbled at this, but obliged the Councillor and followed after her. For her talk of somewhere more comfortable, her office was not much better than standing. In front of her desk was a simple wooden chair. Of course, behind her desk, was a much more appealing chair… one that actually had pillows and had armrests… basically, her guest chair sucked in Natsu's opinion.

'Please sit down, we have much to discuss.' Said Ultear, before she sat in her chair.

Natsu frowned a little, seeing how comfortable Ultear was and saw the mirth dancing in her eyes, when she eyed his chair, indicating he sit down, which he begrudgingly did.

'Okay, but before we start this discussion, I have an important question.' Started Natsu.

'By all means, ask, your important question.' Said Ultear playfully.

'Why do you smell familiar? To be more specific, why do you smell like that short, masked guy from Galuna Island?' Asked Natsu, with a narrowed gaze, as he gave a small sniff, confirming his senses were indeed picking up the scent from her.

Ultear momentarily stiffened, before relaxing, but Natsu easily caught it.

'What do you mean? Are you insinuating that I smell like a man? How rude, I take the proper time to bathe myself.' Said Ultear, in mock hurt.

'Look, despite what you might think, I don't care why you were crossdressing as some weird guy on an island, inhabited by a frozen demon at that. You'd think that I would, but I really don't.' Said Natsu tiredly.

'Oh, why is that?' Asked Ultear, genuinely curious.

'Well… everyone is entitled to do what they want to I suppose, it isn't like people have to report to me why they do things… or when they are going to go on a job.' Said Natsu sourly.

'I think you might be mixing two things together here, Salamander.' Commented Ultear in amusement.

'I am, but both are relevant to what I just said… and call my Natsu, since Salamander is what my enemies call me. You aren't my enemy, are you?' Asked Natsu, with a raised eyebrow.

'Hmm, no, I believe I am not your enemy… Natsu.' Said Ultear thoughtfully.

'Okay, in that case, I have one more question before we discuss how the Council is going to lie about anything involved with me.' Said Natsu calmly, causing Ultear to raise an eyebrow.

'Yes?' Prompted Ultear.

'If, say, the Council is destroyed, rebuilt, redesigned, under new leadership, whatever, does that affect my Wizard Saint position at all?' Asked Natsu.

'It shouldn't after today, no. Why though? You only recently became a Wizard Saint, why do you suddenly care so much about it? Simple bravado and pride?' Asked Ultear teasingly.

'No, it is because today I realised, that there are bad people out there… very bad, and having the insurance of being a Wizard Saint can give me some flexibility in how I deal with things… especially if the Council is already going to lie about what I do anyway.' Said Natsu simply.

'That is… an odd view. It isn't wrong though, but I'm surprised to hear something so shrewd and well planned coming from you, Natsu.' Teased Ultear.

'Hmm, I thought someone who wore a mask and carried on an acting façade, would be able to recognise one in front of her… guess that's just me.' Hummed Natsu thoughtfully.

'Is that so?' Asked Ultear in amusement.

'You tell me, Councillor. Do you really know me well enough to know if I'm lying here or not?' Asked Natsu challengingly, as he leaned back into his chair.

'… I suppose not and if we are speaking informally as we are now, please, call me Ultear.' Said Ultear calmly.

'Alright then, Ultear, I'm ready to hear about how the Council is going to lie, ready to fill me in?' Gestured Natsu grandiosely, making a big sweeping motion with his arms.

'Yes, although, since you are… different… to what I was expecting, I'll be more honest with you from this point on.' Answered Ultear.

'I'm listening.' Said Natsu, leaning forward again.

'To put things simply, you are essentially free to do nearly anything you want. Of course, within reason though. For instance, you can't go back to your previously destructive ways, but, accidents do happen, especially at the hands of others. A Wizard Saint is expected to carry out their mission, with as much care as possible, however, damage at the hands of an enemy, can be compensated for, especially when rescuing someone.' Said Ultear playfully.

'So, in other words, any damage I may inadvertently cause, would be blamed on any stray bandit or dark mage, assuming they were within the area and I encounter them.' Reiterated Natsu.

'Your words, Natsu, but they are very true.' Winked Ultear.

'Ok, I can handle that. I'll still tone things down, but maybe now I can breathe a little.' Said Natsu, with a nod.

'That being said, the Council may also… add finishing touches, to any jobs you complete, from this point on, to help the public see the great heroic deeds of Natsu Dragneel.' Continued Ultear, with an impish smile.

'Like today's job then?' Asked Natsu, to which Ultear nodded for confirmation.

'Yes, in fact, you should read the next issue of Sorcerer Magazine this Wednesday, you will feature heavily no doubt, especially given who you carried out this job with.' Answered Ultear, with a smirk.

'I see… is there anything else?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Not Council related, no. Although, would you mind a personal question of a prying woman?' Asked Ultear calmly.

'If I can ask one of my own, then by all means.' Replied Natsu.

'Hmm, an even exchange… very well then. Why exactly do you carry a mask with you and feel the need to have flexibility from this point? For what reason do you want this?' Asked Ultear curiously.

'For the same reason I do everything: to find Igneel. The reason I want to find Igneel should be simple enough to understand, but that being said, I also want those I care about to be safe. I'm not willing to sacrifice those I care about to get my way, but, if you stand in my way, I won't hold back.' Said Natsu, giving Ultear a stern glare.

'I see, most interesting.' Hummed Ultear.

'Well, ask your question, Natsu.' Prompted Ultear.

'Why are you hiding behind a mask? What could possibly require you to be part of the Council and also meddle with Zeref's demons?' Asked Natsu calmly.

Ultear didn't answer immediately. She knew why she was doing everything, of course she did, but how to answer Natsu. Did she want to say the truth, part of it, or a blatant lie?

'Before I answer, may I ask why you care?' Questioned Ultear.

'That's fair, I don't really have much of a case in asking you a question, given I will be the Council's white knight from this point on… I want to know, because what I feel from you confuses me.' Said Natsu honestly.

'Oh my, is _the_ , Natsu Dragneel, smitten, with me?' Questioned Ultear in amusement.

'No. I smell blood on you. Death and destruction. I can feel how guarded you are, how deceptive you are… although, despite all this, I don't feel an evil aura from you, that would usually accompany these things… for some reason, you feel exceedingly neutral. To that point that I can imagine you stabbing someone in the back and feeling no remorse, if you felt it was necessary for a greater purpose. That is why I care. I have never felt a person so neutral before and it bothers me, because I don't know whose side you are on right now, or if I can trust you.' Explained Natsu, with a narrowed gaze.

Ultear placed her elbows on her desk and rested her chin on her interlocked hands, gazing closer at Natsu.

'You know something, Natsu, you are very interesting.' Commented Ultear.

'You didn't answer the question.' Pointed out Natsu.

Ultear hummed, but merely continued gazing at Natsu, studying him.

'A fresh start. That is what I want.' Said Ultear, after a minute.

'I see.' Said Natsu, before standing up and heading for the door.

As he reached for the handle, he paused halfway.

'A fresh start is all good and well, for wiping away any errors, or mistakes… but don't forget, a fresh start means losing everything you've already fought and struggled for. Everything you've enjoyed and achieved as well. Ask yourself this, is your life completely irredeemable up to this point, that you would want to erase everything you have done up to this point? Can you really not do, what you want to do with your life right now? Or are you only holding yourself back?' Said Natsu, before leaving.

Ultear frowned at the door, once Natsu had left.

'One who has only walked in the light can never know the true horrors of the shadows. Poor, naïve Natsu.' Said Ultear fondly, with a smile.

It was only after Ultear had spoken though, that another pink haired person appeared in her mind, which caused her to frown.

Ultear shook her head softly and gave a dry chuckle.

"I can't be having second thoughts now, from a simple conversation." Thought Ultear, before deciding that her office had suddenly become uncomfortable and made to leave it.

As Ultear exited the office, she nearly jumped when she saw Natsu leaning to the side of the door.

'And what are you doing here exactly?' Asked Ultear, with a hint of surprise in her tone.

'Well, you led me here and I'm not sure where the exit is. I figured that even though I can be a bit more reckless, blowing through buildings, should probably not be my primary way to get around.' Said Natsu sheepishly.

'I see, follow me then.' Said Ultear in amusement, as she led Natsu back along the path they had come.

'Here we are Natsu, the same place where you saw your girlfriend off.' Teased Ultear, causing Natsu to frown.

'I told you she isn't my girlfriend.' Huffed Natsu, to which Ultear giggled.

As Ultear turned to leave, Natsu spoke.

'You know, being a fire user, I'm well aware of both the light and the dark.' Said Natsu offhandedly.

'Oh, was someone eavesdropping, that is rude you know?' Teased Ultear, as she turned back to Natsu.

'Probably, but I'm not known for my manners anyway.' Said Natsu, with a grin.

'True.' Said Ultear, before Natsu started to walk away, Ultear watching him as he went.

'Although, for there to be shadows, something needs to be obstructing the light. If you take away whatever is causing the shadows, they go away and everything is plunged into the light.' Said Natsu, as he walked off.

Once Natsu got outside, he jumped off the ground and ignited his feet, before launching himself towards Magnolia.

'Hmm how funny, Natsu. I'm sure a Dragon Slayer could have easily sniffed their path back. You just felt like taunting me, didn't you?' Said Ultear thoughtfully, before walking off again.

 _-line break-_

When Natsu arrived back at the guild, he looked around in shock. To put it simply, the guild was a mess. Smashed tables and chairs. Barrels of beer upturned, some with beer still in them. Mugs strewn about on the floor, along with mages of varying degrees of consciousness.

'How the hell did this happen?' Shouted Natsu in shock.

'Demon… back…' Gasped a member lying on the floor, among the wreckage of a table, before passing out.

'Huh?' Said Natsu in confusion, before a transformed Mirajane, dropped down in front of Natsu. Mira suddenly turned back to normal, causing most of the guild to exhale in relief.

'Welcome back Natsu. I was just teaching the guild about how important it is, to ensure that everyone does their part in looking after the foundations, of what will soon be our new guild. Oh, and we have a new member now as well, who has been eagerly waiting to meet you.' Said Mira pleasantly.

Natsu looked at Mira in confusion, before she gestured towards the bar. Juvia who had previously been sitting, somehow unfazed by the chaos that had unfolded around her, walked up to Natsu. Natsu blinked for a second, making sure his nose wasn't lying, as Juvia had completely changed, cutting her hair and changing her outfit, showing much more skin. It wasn't overly showy, in comparison to someone like Cana, but considering how bundled up Juvia had been previously, it was quite the change.

Juvia was now wearing a blue and white dress that reached to just above her knees, along with a Fairy Tail symbol just above her chest, almost like a bowtie. She also wore white boots, with dark blue markings on them, which reached to just below her knees, along with what looked like, white gloves, which reached mid-biceps. To top it all off, Juvia wore a new hat, which was mostly blue, with two white segments, which also featured a blue swirl on the front of it.

'Natsu! Juvia joined Fairy Tail and Juvia changed her look to match as well, what do you think?' Asked Juvia eagerly.

Natsu hummed thoughtfully and looked the beaming Juvia over.

'Hmm, why did you cut your hair? It looked better before.' Asked Natsu, causing Mira to slap Natsu on the shoulder.

'Natsu, that was very rude.' Chided Mirajane sternly, as Juvia has slumped her head at Natsu's words.

'What? I was just being honest. It suited her better when it was long, although I think it looks better being uncurled, looks more like water that way, which suits her.' Defended Natsu, causing Mira to pause and a few of the still conscious Fairy Tail members to look at Natsu oddly.

'Hmm, that is an interesting thought actually.' Commented Mira, as she turned to Juvia.

'I mean, it is fine either way I suppose, Juvia is still Juvia after all.' Added Natsu.

Juvia perked up at this and saw Natsu's characteristic grin.

'Thank you Natsu. Juvia is glad, that Juvia is still Juvia to you.' Cheered Juvia.

"Although, now Juvia must figure out the best hairstyle to suit Natsu… but Natsu still thinks Juvia is Juvia. In other words, Natsu loves Juvia no matter what!" Thought Juvia happily.

'Juvia has a job, would Natsu like to go as well?' Offered Juvia, holding up the request.

'Well, I did just get back…' Said Natsu, causing Juvia to think Natsu was going to say no and dropped her head in sadness.

'But sure, why not?' Finished Natsu, causing Juvia to look up in shock.

'Eh, really? Natsu will go on Juvia's job with her?' Questioned Juvia in surprise.

'Of course!' Exclaimed Natsu happily.

'Juvia, you wouldn't mind if I join you two on your job, right?' Asked Mira sweetly.

'O-of course not.' Spluttered Juvia, feeling an ominous vibe coming from Mira.

'Wonderful! Also, I'm sure that by the time we come back, the guild will be spotless, right?' Questioned Mira, in the same tone, to everyone who was still conscious.

Hurried nods and words of agreement were quickly given.

'Well, let's go then.' Said Mira, as she pushed Juvia and Natsu out the door, which closed behind her.

The guild gave a collective exhale of relief, once Mira had left. There was a moment of silence, before a small lump of blue dropped down from the roof.

'No more! Please, no more Winged Fish! I'm sorry Mira!' Cried Happy tearfully, as he bawled on the ground.

'Let that be a lesson for you, for next time, Happy: gluttony is a sin.' Said Makarov, who was sitting at the bar, with a mug of beer and appeared untouched, despite the destruction around him.

"Although, I must admit, I didn't expect Mira to get her powers back so quickly. Hmm, Natsu, Mira and Juvia, what an interesting team. Ho ho, lucky Natsu though, having two beauties with him now. Team Wizard Saint, yes, that's a fitting name." Thought Makarov, as he took a drink.

'Alright everyone, let's start cleaning up before Mira gets back!' Shouted Makarov, which spurred the guild into action.

"Ah, sometimes, it is good being the boss." Thought Makarov contently, as he drank his beer calmly, while watching his guild members clean up their mess.

Well, except for the weeping cat-like creature, that was still whispering refusals of Winged Fish quietly.

 _-line break-_

It had been another successful mission for Team Natsu… well Team Natsu, without Natsu and Happy, that is. Erza, Lucy and Gray made their way back to the guild, in varying degrees of tiredness. Erza appeared completely unfazed, while Gray only appeared a little bit tired… Lucy on the other hand, was dragging her feet every step of the way and crying internally.

"How did I get roped into this?" Shouted Lucy internally.

While the blonde did find missions with Natsu somewhat tiring, Natsu was nowhere near as militant as Erza. They had done eight requests in the past five days. The kicker though, was that Erza and Gray combined, caused even more damage than Natsu on his own, meaning, despite how many jobs she had done, she had only earned the same amount of jewels that should could have, in a job or two with Natsu.

"Why me?" Thought Lucy tiredly.

'Do you think we should try for another request today?' Asked Erza curiously.

Lucy blanched and started to sweat nervously.

'Nah, I think we can just pick up bright and early tomorrow. Get in some training tonight.' Said Gray, giving his thoughts on the matter.

'Y-yeah, a bit of training would be a good idea.' Added Lucy nervously.

'Hmm, I see, very well then, be at the guild at sunrise tomorrow and we can set off on a new job then.' Decided Erza, causing Lucy to cry internally.

It was then, that the trio started to hear some mutterings approaching them. After a moment, they could make out what was being said.

'Natsu, we need to take the train this time.' Said a voice, which was easily recognised as Mira's.

'B-but the job we did today was fine without us needing to take a train.' Protested Natsu.

"A job? Did Mira go on a job?" Thought Erza in surprise.

'Juvia is sorry Natsu. Juvia should have known a job that was far away, would be uncomfortable for Natsu.' Said Juvia worriedly.

"Juvia? From Phantom?" Thought Lucy in confusion.

'Now, now Juvia, Natsu needs to learn to deal with this eventually, after all, a Wizard Saint should be able to handle transportation, or it won't look well on them.' Interjected Mira.

Those words, Wizard Saint, they set a fire inside Erza and Gray. On some level, both were happy for the Dragon Slayer, but on another, it irked both of them for different reasons. Gray for the obvious, of his rival being ahead of him and Erza, unusually, because she felt uncomfortable with Natsu being of a higher rank than her. True, Erza was S-Class, but Wizard Saint easily trumped S-Class mage.

'But I could just use my magic to get around. I mean, that's how I got back here after the Council meeting so quickly.' Persisted Natsu.

'While it may be okay in that scenario, it is a waste of your magic and for an important event, a certain level of decorum is needed, Natsu.' Explained Mira patiently.

'B-but I… *sigh* fine.' Conceded Natsu in defeat, as they were finally within eyesight of the other trio.

Natsu gave a small sniff and quickly looked up, seeing his team… or at least the one bearing his name.

'Hey guys, how was the job?' Asked Natsu cheerfully.

'N-Natsu and Mira and… who are you?' Said Erza, looking to Juvia.

'Juvia? You look different.' Said Lucy nervously.

'Juvia has changed to mark her new beginning as a Fairy Tail mage.' Explained Juvia.

Lucy was going to comment on that, before Gray spoke up.

'What are you doing flame brain? What are you thinking, taking Mira on a job?' Questioned Gray harshly.

'Ara, well actually, I requested to come.' Explained Mira pleasantly, but somehow managed to unnerve Gray.

'Mira, as a senior mage, I cannot allow you to go on this job. It is dangerous for you.' Said Erza, as she stepped forward.

'Oh, as I recall, both of us are of equal standing. Both of us are S-Class mages and while you became one first, your authority isn't greater than mine.' Said Mira, with a smile.

'But you don't have any…' Said Erza hesitantly.

'Magic? Oh, but I do. I mean, it wasn't intentional, but there is a nice piece of forestry gone now thanks to me being a little overzealous. I'm sure a blonde haired man and his group of friends in jail now, can also attest to this fact. Ah, so embarrassing, but I do in fact have magic, feel free to ask the guild for confirmation, if you still don't believe me.' Said Mira happily.

Erza was taken aback at Mira's words.

'Y-you mean… you got your magic back?' Asked Erza in surprise.

'I never lost it, I just needed someone to help me realise that.' Said Mira happily, before, in a bold move, kissed Natsu on the cheek again, in front of everyone.

'Thank you once again, Natsu.' Cooed Mira happily, as she fluttered her eyelashes at the flustered Dragon Slayer.

'S-stop doing that! You're just doing that to tease me. The Councillor thought you were my girlfriend because of that.' Spluttered Natsu indignantly.

Everyone was shocked at this new piece of information, but Juvia was shocked the most.

"G-G-Girlfriend! Oh no! It seems Juvia has an even stronger love rival… and she has longer hair! Does this mean Natsu likes girls with longer hair? Oh no, Juvia has disadvantaged herself! Blonde love rival must not be a threat then, Juvia must have gotten it wrong… or maybe not… but Mirajane is definitely a love rival! A strong one too! Juvia won't lose though!" Thought Juvia fiercely.

'U-u-uh w-what is going on?' Questioned Erza in shock, with a small blush.

'Oh, nothing of course, but we should be going now, or we will miss our train.' Said Mira happily, causing Natsu to let out a small groan and snap Juvia out of her daydreaming.

As the trio made their way past the other trio, Mira momentarily paused near Erza and whispered something to her.

'Too bad Erza. Natsu may have been part of your group before, but now he is mine and I won't be letting him go.' Whispered Mira happily, with a scheming glint in her eye, before the trio walked off.

Team Natsu, minus Natsu and Happy, stiffly made their way back to the guild, Erza more so than Lucy and Gray, but both were quite surprised. As Erza opened the door to the guild, everyone's eyes were on her and oddly enough, upon seeing her, many exhaled in relief, a far cry to how they would have reacted a few weeks ago. Strangely though, the entire guild was spotless.

'We have returned Master. The job was a success, as always.' Said Erza, as she walked up to Makarov, who was sitting on the bar and sipping his beer with an amused expression.

'Oh, well done, will you be taking another?' Asked Makarov curiously.

'No, we will train for the rest of the day and take one bright and early tomorrow.' Explained Erza, as Lucy and Gray walked up behind her.

'Um Master, did a new mage join the guild recently?' Asked Lucy curiously.

'Oho, you three must have bumped into Juvia then.' Stated Makarov cheerfully, as he took another sip of his drink.

'Yes Master, about that, we also saw Natsu and Mira, and Mira claims to have regained her powers. Is there any truth to this?' Asked Erza.

The entire guild collectively shivered and a few members even whimpered.

'Indeed, Mira is back on the active list and will be going on jobs again.' Confirmed Makarov.

'I see.' Said Erza thoughtfully.

'Ahhh Erza! You're back!' Shouted a bundle of fur, which, surprisingly, slammed into Erza's chest plate and held on.

'Happy, what wrong?' Asked Lucy in confusion.

'The demon is back! We need you Erza! You need to protect me from the demon! *sniff* So many Winged Fish. I don't want anymore!' Cried Happy, his tears sliding of the knightess's armour.

'Did we miss something?' Asked Gray curiously.

'A lot, as a matter of fact, but Happy is merely atoning for his gluttony.' Explained Makarov.

'I see, if Master says so, then it seems you received a fitting punishment Happy.' Said Erza sternly.

'Lucy, please help! You have to help!' Cried Happy, as he flew off Erza and latched onto the blonde's neck.

'Eh? Why me and why would you be scared of Mira for?' Asked Lucy in confusion, as the guild shivered once again.

'The demon is back! Don't you understand?' Wailed Happy.

'Considering Lucy is a fairly new member as well, she would most likely not know of the demon.' Chimed in Makarov.

'We're doomed!' Shouted Happy, before flying out of the guild dramatically, bumping into anyone in his way.

'Master, are you sure it is a good idea for Mira to be taking missions again?' Asked Erza sternly.

'I was in fact the one who recommended she go on the first one today.' Explained Makarov.

'I see… then I will trust your judgment. I will leave now to train.' Declared Erza, before leaving the guild.

Gray said something similar, before leaving as well.

'I'm going… to bed, those two are slowly killing me.' Said Lucy tiredly, before heading home.

"And none of you asked about Natsu… yes, it is for the best that Mira begin taking jobs again. Juvia joining was also a blessing. Hopefully, the two of them can help Natsu, where his team is failing." Thought Makarov tiredly.


	5. Making Waves

**Well, I have good and bad news.**

 **Good news for me, no surgery any time soon, but possibly later next year, so, I can write uninhibited from this point on.**

 **Bad news… well, it is bad news for this story, but good news for another… I finally found some time to play Arkham Knight, after my PS4 got stolen and had the best idea ever for A Man's Heart.**

 **After all, there were two main twists to the game, one I saw coming a mile away: who the Arkham Knight was, which also gave me an idea for Wheel of Fortune, which I will get to after my AMH inspiration wears off… and the other, which I didn't see coming, but enjoyed immensely.**

 **It also made me realise, that for the same reason it was done in the game, I like having an internal voice in the head of my MC, in all of my stories because of the unique view it provides into a characters psyche.**

 **Oh, and that being said, if you didn't find Harley Quinn at least a little bit attractive in the game, you're probably batting for the other team. I cracked up laughing, before giving a sad sigh, when I saw a comment from someone on a video, saying that that was the reason their girlfriend banned them from playing the game…**

 **The bad news for this story, manifests its part, in the fact that this means, I will take a break from this story, after next chapter, before the Tower of Heaven arc gets under way. I really want to take my time with the arc and explore the other characters around Natsu for a bit and how they've been responding to the recent changes I've implemented.**

 **In addition to that, next chapter, you will start to see me veer off the canon track, as to how future developments will carry out, namely for the Oración Seis arc, but also, for how things will go down at the tower, as well as a few nods, to what may differ on Tenrou Island, when I get to it.**

 **Back to the other stories yet to be updated… I haven't forgotten about them and I will update them soon… but, if there is something I've learned this year, once a good dose of inspiration kicks in, I can write thousands of words easily and churn out chapter after chapter, so I really think I should seize on this while I can.  
**  
 **Also, next chapter is done as well, so it will be up soon, after I look it over and then, I will move on to A Man's Heart. For now though, enjoy the chapter.  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 5 – Making Waves

As Mira and Juvia comfortably sat on the train, as it carried them to their destination, Natsu was sticking his head out the window, trying to keep his stomach inside him.

'So, Juvia, what is the job?' Asked Mira pleasantly, from beside Natsu, snapping Juvia's attention to her.

'Eh, oh, yes, the job is to recover an artefact from some ruins.' Answered Juvia, looking away from Natsu, to the white haired girl beside him.

'I see, well, with Natsu's nose, this should be rather straight forward.' Said Mira thoughtfully.

'Yes, Dragon Slayers are very good trackers. Juvia recalls a few missions with Gajeel involved in finding lost items.' Said Juvia.

'Hmm, it is a shame what happened to your guild. Jose really did take things too far, so only he is to blame, I suppose, but it is a shame for the rest of you.' Commented Mira.

'Yes, Juvia is quite regretful of Juvia's former guild's actions. Juvia feels responsible, since Juvia was the one to capture Lucy.' Said Juvia, somewhat sadly, causing Natsu to temporarily come back inside the train.

'Don't worry Juvia, a job is a job.' Said Natsu quickly, before his cheeks puffed out comically and he stuck his head back out the window.

'That's right. It was a job. Quite terrible of Jose to use it as a means to target our guild though. It also reflects poorly on Lucy's father, for simply sending people to get her, rather than finding her himself.' Added Mirajane, with a frown.

The train stopped at that point, causing Natsu to give a sigh of relief, as he brought his head back in.

'Yeah, but I don't like the idea of him wanting her, only to marry her off for money, Igneel would never do that to me.' Commented Natsu, with a frown of his own, recalling the full explanation of events he had heard afterwards, from Lucy.

'J-Juvia thought it was nice, that he was trying to find his daughter, but it seems Juvia didn't have the full story.' Said Juvia, with a hint of embarrassment.

'Well, none of us actually knew about Lucy's family, since she kept everything secret… I suppose we all have some burden we need to carry.' Said Natsu sadly.

Mira gave a sad hum at this, with Juvia also looking down in remembrance of her own troubles.

'That's what Fairy Tail is for though, a place where we can form a new family and share in each other's joy.' Continued Natsu happily.

Mira and Juvia both smiled at Natsu's words, before the train started up again and Natsu quickly stuck his head out the window.

'Ara, Natsu, how do you normally manage to ride the train with others?' Asked Mira in amusement.

'Like this…' Said Natsu weakly.

'What about Erza?' Asked Mira, her face straining as she said her rival's name.

'She knocks me… out.' Said Natsu, with a brief pause, as his queasiness intesfied.

"Oh no, is there another love rival Juvia has to be worried about! Why do so many people want Natsu? Juvia has too much competition!" Lamented Juvia, misinterpreting Natsu's words.

'Does that help?' Asked Mira curiously.

'Well, I don't feel the train ride… but I don't like it very much.' Admitted Natsu.

'Juvia can help! Juvia did this for Gajeel when we were forced to take trains!' Said Juvia suddenly.

'Really? How?' Asked Natsu excitedly, as he stuck his head back in the train, only for a blob of water to engulf him, leaving only his head free.

'Juvia's water nullifies the motion sickness of the train.' Said Juvia proudly, as Natsu poked at the bubble of water surrounding his body, with his hand from inside of it.

'Hey, is this like before when you wrapped me up in that bubble of water?' Asked Natsu, before leaning over to his shoulder and taking a slurp, causing Juvia to blush.

'N-Natsu is drinking Juvia's fluids again!' Squealed Juvia in embarrassment.

'Huh, oh yeah, Happy did say something like that last time.' Said Natsu thoughtfully, as he stopped his drinking.

'How bold of you Natsu, drinking another woman's fluids.' Giggled Mirajane.

'Huh? What's that supposed to mean?' Asked Natsu in confusion.

'J-Juvia's water contains Juvia's essence in it. Essentially, Juvia is the water.' Explained Juvia shyly.

'Really? Is that why the water tastes so sweet then? You taste great Juvia!' Laughed Natsu, causing the blue haired water mage to blush, to the point that she now looked like a blue and red tomato.

'Natsu, that's quite a daring thing to say.' Said Mira in amusement.

'What do you mean? Try some for yourself, it tastes great.' Offered Natsu, causing steam to burst from Juvia's head.

'Ara, I don't think I can do something like that, Natsu.' Said Mira calmly, but there was a small blush on her face.

'So Juvia, if you are water, does that mean you can take control of all the water in the world?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Juvia is not water Natsu, rather, Juvia's power is the ability to control and become water. Juvia is solid normally, but can liquefy instantly.' Said Juvia, demonstrating her abilities by patting the train seat next to her, before raising her hand, which suddenly turned into a rippling current of water.

'Wow, it'd be really cool if I could turn into fire.' Thought Natsu, before feeling an odd sense of Déjà vu.

"Why does it feel like I've heard this before… why does it feel like I should already know this?" Thought Natsu in confusion.

Natsu's mind suddenly flashed back to a familiar steel room, which was flooded and saw a figure standing in the centre of it, only this time; the figure seemed to be melding with the water itself. The water was slowly shifting between liquid and solid, forming a pale person at times, before turning into water completely.

'Wake up Natsu.' Said that same voice Natsu heard last time, before he gave a small jolt.

'Sorry if Juvia startled you Natsu, but we are here.' Said Juvia, from in front of Natsu, as she made her dome of water dissipate from around Natsu.

'Uh, huh, what?' Asked Natsu in confusion.

'Well, you seemed to dose off a little, so Juvia and I let you rest. It has been a busy day for you after all, what with our mission, the Council meeting and then flying back to the guild with your magic.' Explained Mira, with a smile.

'Oh, thanks. Wait, did you say we are here?' Asked Natsu, with a yawn.

'Yep, so let's go mister.' Ordered Mira playfully, as she stood up and started to leave for the exit.

'Are you alright Natsu?' Asked Juvia worriedly.

'Yeah, I'm fine, thanks to you. Least painful train ride I've been on in my life. You need to come on all my missions, which need me to take a train from now on, Juvia.' Said Natsu happily.

Juvia's swooned at this happily.

'Of course! Juvia would be happy to!' Replied Juvia quickly, as Natsu started to stand, with Juvia quickly following suit.

'Well, let's get this mission started then!' Cheered Natsu.

As the trio made their way off the train station and into town, they noticed there seemed to be a lot of water damage to the surroundings. There were quite a few watery mud puddles and a few small shrubs had been uprooted it seemed.

'What do you think could have happened here?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Maybe a flood.' Said Mirajane thoughtfully.

'Hope that doesn't complicate things.' Muttered Natsu.

As the trio continued to walk through the town, they noticed the people didn't look too surprised at the water damage, almost as though they were expecting it. All the houses had small fortifications around them, to withstand pressure and some even had small trenches around them.

Eventually, they reached a large house on the outskirts of the town, which was where their client was. Juvia politely knocked on the door and the trio waited for someone to answer.

'Oh, are you the mages?' Asked a rather short woman, reaching only to Natsu's elbow. She had blonde hair tied into twin ponytails, blue eyes and a very pale complexion. Her build was not overly curvaceous like Juvia or Mira's, but it held a modest appeal to it.

'Yes. Those two are Natsu and Juvia and I'm Mirajane.' Said Mira, introducing their group.

'Ah, I'm Umi, thank you for taking my request, please, come in.' Said Umi, before ushering the trio into her home.

Her living room was well decorated with pictures, showing various artefacts and rare creatures. She led the trio to a rather luxurious auburn couch, before seating herself in an arm chair.

'Before I begin, would you like some tea?' Offered Umi.

The three politely shook their heads, which caused Umi to continue speaking.

'I see, in that case, I'll get straight to it. You see, if you didn't notice from the pictures on the walls, I'm a treasure hunter and a rather good one, if I do say so myself.' Started Umi.

It was clear from her tone, that Umi held herself in high regard, but not overly so to the point of being obnoxious.

'Anyway, I've scoured the lands for numerous treasures and been successful in almost every endeavour, however, in my most recent one, I'm experiencing some difficulty.' Confessed Umi in disappointment.

'What sort of difficulty?' Asked Natsu.

'I'm sure you noticed the water all across town on your way here, correct?' Questioned Umi, getting nods from the trio.

'Well, to explain the flooding, I'll explain the artefact I'm seeking. Not too far out of town, about two kilometres north from here, there is a rather large and also very deep, lake. However, what interests me, is what lies below the lake. There are the ruins of a temple, hidden under the lake and rather difficult to gain access to at that, however, during one of my trips down to them, I noticed something.' Continued Umi.

'Wait, you went to the bottom of a deep lake for treasure hunting? How long can you hold your breath for?' Asked Natsu in shock.

'Not very long actually, but the lake is not always there.' Explained Umi, confusing the trio.

'You see, the lake only appears during the day, once the sun sets, the lake slowly dries up, to the point, that by early morning, there is no lake at all and the ruins are easily reachable.' Finished Umi.

'So what seems to be the problem then?' Pressed Natsu.

'I said they are easily reachable, not accessible. As the water dries up, a stone panel comes down and blocks the entrance. I've calculated every possible time and I could only ever find a brief, four minute window, at which point I could get into the ruins and still be able to leave them. Nowhere near enough time to investigate them fully.' Sighed Umi in annoyance.

'In the few times I managed to enter the ruins, I found that they hold an ancient treasure, known as the Eye of the Storm, a magnificent sapphire ball, with a diamond embedded in the centre. Alas, I've never been able to properly search the ruins to find it. At one point, I considered simply staying in the ruins when they became inaccessible and simply leave the next day, but when I set a camera inside, I saw that the ruins themselves, also flooded, along with the lake. It is quite infuriating.' Griped Umi, as she pulled on her twin tails in annoyance.

'Hmm, in that case, this seems like the perfect job for Juvia.' Said Mira thoughtfully.

'Is that so?' Asked Umi curiously.

'Yes, Juvia is able to transform into water and can breathe under it indefinitely. Juvia will get you your treasure.' Said Juvia, raising her right hand and liquefying it briefly to show her ability.

'Excellent! This is excellent! If you can get me the jewel in the next twenty four hours, I'll triple the reward!' Exclaimed Umi in excitement.

'T-triple.' Stammered Juvia in shock.

'Hmm, what's wrong Juvia, is that a lot?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'The original request had a reward of one million jewels.' Said Juvia.

Natsu blinked for a minute, before his eyes widened in shock.

'Three million jewels! Lady, you must be loaded!' Shouted Natsu in disbelief.

'Well, I am an expert treasure hunter. This house alone cost five million and it is the fifteenth house I own.' Explained Umi proudly, puffing out her chest.

'Good thing we didn't bring Happy with us then, he'd probably ask you to adopt him. You could buy him every fish in the world.' Said Natsu, with a chuckle.

 _-line break-_

Back in Natsu's and Happy's house, a small blue furred creature twitched.

'Fish…' Mumbled Happy longingly, before wincing, as the image of a Winged Fish appeared in his mind.

'Ahh! No more fish please Mira!' Shouted Happy, sitting up on the couch quickly.

 _-line break-_

'Hmm, maybe.' Said Mira, giving a small giggle.

'In any case, my offer stands and I'm a woman of my word, if you can get me the jewel before this time tomorrow, I'll triple the reward.' Repeated Umi, getting a nod from the trio.

'Not to worry, Juvia will do this even before twelve hours have passed.' Said Juvia determinedly, before the trio were led to the front door and bade goodbye to Umi, before heading to the lake.

'So, I know Juvia will be able to go there just fine, but what about us?' Asked Natsu, looking down at the lake, which was about three quarters full at this point.

'Not to worry, Juvia can fix this.' Said Juvia quickly, before producing a bubble of water, which had lots of little bubbles inside it.

'Anyone can breathe under water, with one of Juvia's water bubbles. They contain oxygen in them that can last for hours.' Explained Juvia proudly.

'Cool!' Exclaimed Natsu in excitement.

After Juvia had created two bubbles, one for both Mira and Natsu, the three dived into the water and swam down towards the ruins. As the trio ventured down, Natsu had been slowly making his bubble shrink, by drinking it. As they finally reached the entrance, Juvia was about to say something to Natsu and Mira and turned around to do so, before freaking out when she saw Natsu.

'N-Natsu, what happened to your air bubble?' Asked Juvia worriedly.

'Um oops, guess I drank it.' Said Natsu sheepishly.

'B-but Natsu, how are you breathing underwater?' Asked Juvia tentatively.

'What do you mean? Isn't that how it works?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Clearly not Natsu, since I still have my bubble.' Said Mira, her head, still in the bubble Juvia had created.

'Hmm.' Hummed Natsu, rubbing his jaw in contemplation.

'In that case… I have no idea how I'm breathing right now… but somehow I am.' Said Natsu thoughtfully.

'W-well, in any case, Juvia was going to recommend that Juvia go in first and have a quick look to make sure it is safe.' Said Juvia, having shook Natsu's odd ability to suddenly breath underwater, off her mind.

'Alright, we'll be waiting.' Said Natsu, with a grin.

After a minute or so, Juvia exited the ruins and signalled for Natsu and Mira to come with a wave of her arm.

'The ruins are indeed flooded, but for some reason, nothing is floating in the water. Nonetheless, Juvia thinks it is safe.' Reported Juvia.

'Alright, let's do this then!' Cheered Natsu, before they all entered the ruins.

The ruins, contrary to their name, were actually in pristine condition. No water damage, no cracks to the walls, ground or roof and absolutely nothing was broken.

'Whoa, this place is pretty neat. This would be a great place to live.' Said Natsu in wonderment, as he looked around.

'Considering it floods every day, you think there would be at least some sort of damage.' Commented Mira appraisingly.

'Well, from the water pressure, it seems that the temple itself is actually protected by the water.' Explained Juvia.

'Hmm, that's right, it is a temple isn't it… wait, I just realised something, Umi never told us why this place flooded.' Said Natsu.

'…You're right… I wonder why that is?' Questioned Mira.

'In any case, I don't think I'll be much help here in finding the jewel thingy, since all I can actually smell right now is water… and Juvia… that's surprising actually… must be because you use water magic that your scent isn't washed away, even if you already smell pretty similar to water in the first place.' Said Natsu.

'Really? What does Juvia smell like then?' Asked Juvia curiously.

'Hmm, well, it is kind of like honey… but with a hint of lemon for some reason. That must explain why your water always tastes really sweet and fresh.' Explained Natsu.

Juvia gave a small blush, at being reminded of what Natsu had already drank… of her.

'Juvia understands. Thank you for telling Juvia.' Said Juvia, in less embarrassment that she expected.

"Does this mean Juvia is becoming more comfortable with Natsu?" Wondered Juvia, only now noticing, just how at ease she felt around Natsu, despite her infatuation.

"Warm… and soothing." Thought Juvia, feeling Natsu's presence.

Natsu's presence was like the perfect balancer for Juvia's. While she was cool, Natsu was warm, while she was calm, Natsu was energetic. It was like they were a complete opposite of each other, thought Juvia, as the trio swam, before her mind wandered away again.

"Opposites attract!" Thought Juvia happily.

'Well, considering this is a temple, there are really only three places a treasure could be: The highest level, the lowest level or the centre.' Said Mira thoughtfully.

'I suppose we could just split up and each search a level.' Suggested Natsu.

Juvia's mind froze at the very notion of splitting up… but for entirely different reasons than what Natsu had meant.

'Juvia doesn't think that would be wise. There may be hidden traps or other dangers around. It is best if we investigate as a group. The temple isn't that large, so it shouldn't take too long even if we all search together.' Said Juvia.

'Hmm, that is a good point too.' Agreed Mira.

'Alright, so where should we search first?' Asked Natsu.

'Juvia thinks the lowest level would be best, as if this is a jewel of water and the sea, it would make sense to be there.' Said Juvia.

'Ok, looks like there are some stairs leading down off to the right.' Said Natsu, his enhanced vision picking up the sight of a way down.

As the trio made their way down, Natsu couldn't help but marvel at the place.

'I can't believe this place is in such good condition, especially considering it is always getting flooded.' Commented Natsu, appraising the walls either side of him, which were crack free.

'Maybe there is some in-built protection or repairing mechanism, which maintains everything.' Suggested Mira, looking at the walls in interest herself.

'Do you think it could be the jewel or something?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Maybe.' Said Mira uncertainly.

'Juvia sees something in the water.' Said Juvia suddenly.

As the trio reached the bottom of the stairs, they arrived in a very small room. The room couldn't have been bigger than two cubic metres and was very bare, except for the centre of it. In the centre of the room was a small pedestal, which was actually floating in place, in the water. There was a large ornate vase on the pedestal and instead of a lid, there sat the Eye of the Storm, a magnificent sapphire ball, with a diamond embedded in the centre, just as Umi had described.

'Wow, lucky us, we found it so quickly!' Exclaimed Natsu happily.

Juvia softly made her way in front of the pedestal and reached for the jewel. She narrowed her eyes slightly when she grasped the jewel and picked it up, but nothing happened.

'I guess that's that then.' Said Mira cheerfully.

'Three million jewels just for this… this is awesome!' Cheered Natsu.

'Yes, Juvia is happy as well… although, Juvia is also slightly worried.' Said Juvia, with a small frown.

'Why what's wrong?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'This feels too easy for Juvia.' Said Juvia, revealing her thoughts on the matter.

'Well, we can always take a harder mission after this if you want.' Offered Natsu, causing Juvia to smile happily.

'Very well then, Juvia thinks it is time to leave then.' Said Juvia happily.

As the trio swam back up the stairs and made their way to the entrance of the temple, the vase that had been left behind cracked.

As the three left the temple and made their way back to the surface, the vase suddenly split down the middle.

Once the three had reached the surface and made their way back on land, with Mira taking off her water bubble which dissolved into nothing, the vase started to gain finger-like cracks, spreading from the centre outwards.

'There we go, all done, now we just take this to Umi and we are done!' Cheered Natsu, before feeling a slight tremble in the earth.

Natsu suddenly quietened down and placed his head close to the ground, confusing Mira and Juvia.

'Natsu, what are you doing?' Asked Mira, looking at Natsu oddly.

'I felt something… and now I'm hearing something… like a really soft wail.' Said Natsu, with a frown, before flinching.

Seconds after Natsu flinched, Juvia and Mira heard a high-pitched wail, which sounded somewhat muffled.

Almost instantly after Mira and Juvia heard the wail, it quickly intensified, causing Natsu to drop to his knees and grab his ears in pain.

The water in the lake started to become agitated, lapping over the lip of the basin and beginning to swirl in the middle, forming the beginnings of a whirlpool. From the centre of the whirlpool though, the water started to rise, taking shape. Mira and Juvia noticed something begin to form.

First, a vicious looking scaled head, not too dissimilar from a dragon head, formed out of the water… quickly followed by eight more. Two thick webbed wings came into sight along with a heavily spined, scaly body. Four claws started to form, each possessing three spiky projections off each claw. The water suddenly started to darken however, becoming a deep purple, before solidifying. Instead of a construct of water, a purple scaled creature, one that could only be a Hydra, was revealed. The creature was covered in purple, with darker shades of purple on its limbs and head, while its underbelly was a soft violet. It claws however, were pure black and its eyes were two pools of coal. Its long, thick, heavily spined tail twitched and Mira and Juvia both noticed the tip was not purple. It was a dark red, the colour of blood.

'Ugh, what the hell was that for?' Shouted Natsu, to the beast, having finally regained himself.

 **'Kreeeee!'** Screeched the Hydra, irritating Natsu **.**

'Well too bad! Our job was to get that jewel so it doesn't matter how you got it!' Shouted Natsu, surprising Juvia and Mira.

The Hydra screeched again, causing Natsu to narrow his eyes.

'Hey, Juvia, Mira, let me handle this, alone.' Said Natsu darkly.

'Natsu what do you mean?' Asked Mira.

'That thing just insulted me and Igneel and I don't give a rat's ass about how many mages it has killed already, I'm taking it down!' Growled Natsu.

Juvia looked at Natsu uncertainly, before glancing to Mira.

'What should Juvia do then?' Asked Juvia to Mira.

'I guess we'll just let him fight it then. It'll be good for Natsu, he hasn't really had much of a chance to let loose lately.' Sighed Mira, before leading Juvia a little bit away, which caused the Hydra to screech again.

'They aren't running! I'm going to kick your ass then we are going to calmly walk away, so bring it on fish stick!' Shouted Natsu, lighting his hands on fire.

The Hydra's throat rumbled, before launching a highly pressurised bullet of water at Natsu. Natsu dived to the side and flipped off the ground, before bringing his hands to his mouth.

' **Fire Dragon's Roar**!' Shouted Natsu, unleashing a wave of flames at the Hydra.

The Hydra ducked underwater, allowing it to avoid the attack, and also kicked up lots of water, which snuffed out the flames quickly.

'You think that will help you?' Shouted Natsu, before getting a running start and jumping into the water.

The two girls watched on in surprise, as they suddenly saw a burst of orange in the water, quickly followed by three of the Hydra's, ripping through the water, no longer attached to the main body, which crashed harshly into the ground around the lake.

Natsu was suddenly launched high into the air, shooting out of the water like a rocket, before the Hydra emerged from the water, now sporting twelve heads.

'You think having extra heads is going to scare me! Twelve heads are just as stupid as nine!' Shouted Natsu, causing the Hydra to screech again, before Natsu launched a large ball of fire down at the beast, sending it back into the water and kicking up a wave, which battered the nearby soil, towards the edge of the lake.

Natsu felt the air leave his lungs, as a sudden jet of water shot up at him and slammed into his stomach. The Hydra, seemingly leapt from the bottom of the lake, and swung itself around, so its tail was on a direct collision course with Natsu's body. Natsu's lungs were once again, forcefully made to expel all the oxygen in them, as the Hydra's tail slammed into his ribs. Natsu quickly regained himself though and grabbed onto the scaly appendage tightly.

'I've got you now.' Growled Natsu, before giving a mighty heave.

The Hydra's eyes widened in shock, as it felt itself being lifted up, by the tiny creature on its tail.

'Rrraghhhh!' Roared Natsu, as he hefted the massive creature up into the air, causing it to fly over his head.

' **Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Fist**!' Shouted Natsu, as he ignited his fists and blasted a wave of fire from his feet to propel him up.

As the Hydra momentarily became weightless in the air, Natsu was upon it and launched a continued barrage of fiery fists, with each strike causing an explosion. Natsu finished his assault with a wicked uppercut, which launched the Hydra into the air, even higher. Natsu then quickly angled his body down and once again, shot fire from his feet, propelling him to the side this time, allowing him to land safely on land, as the Hydra plummeted to earth.

Juvia and Mira instantly grew worried, as a mass of that size hitting a body of water could cause serious damage, if not on impact, by producing a mini tsunami. However, their worries were unfounded, when the Hydra's body morphed, becoming water once again, before splashing down. True, a massive amount of water was kicked up, but it could have been much worse if it had been a solid mass that had struck the surface.

'Well, Juvia, was that still too easy for you?' Asked Natsu, with a grin, as he walked over to the two mages who had watched his fight.

'That was very impressive Natsu, I've never seen you fight like that before.' Complimented Mira.

'Thanks Mira!' Said Natsu happily, before looking at Juvia.

'What about you Juvia?' Asked Natsu, to the currently still unresponsive mage.

"Natsu is covered in water! Look at all of Natsu's muscles! Juvia doesn't think she can handle this!" Shouted Juvia internally.

'Juvia, you alright?' Asked Natsu, as he walked closer to Juvia.

"Natsu is so close to Juvia! What should I do?" Cried Juvia.

'Natsu, what were you saying to the Hydra before?' Asked Mira, distracting Natsu.

'Hmm, oh yeah, that.' Said Natsu, turning to Mira.

'He was acting all full of himself, saying that the jewel belonged to him because a few hundred years back, the people of this area gave the jewel to the Hydra, to appease it, to stop it attacking the area with floods. Then he started insulting me because I smelled like a dragon and laughed at how weak dragons were. I sure showed him though. He wasn't even an actual Hydra, just a nasty spirit, pretending to be one, that's why he turned to water after I knocked him down a few pegs.' Explained Natsu.

'Does that mean we need to put the jewel back or this will happen again?' Asked Mira in concern.

'Nope, he won't be coming back after that. Its spirit was in the vase and the jewel was keeping it there. Without the jewel, he can't keep stealing energy from the water and surroundings to sustain himself, so he's gone. Good riddance. Calling dragons fakes and then not even being real himself.' Grumbled Natsu.

'Hmm, I guess it's for the best then, if it was damaging the land.' Said Mira.

'That it was, that thing was the reason for the constant flooding too.' Said Umi, as she suddenly appeared a metre away from the trio.

'How the hell did you sneak up on me?' Shouted Natsu in shock.

'One doesn't become a master treasure hunter, without becoming incredibly light-footed. The amount of pressure sensitive traps I've avoided, just in the past year alone, would boggle your mind.' Said Umi proudly.

'Well we got you your jewel thingy anyway, pretty easily too. How did you have so much trouble?' Asked Natsu, only for Mira to playfully slap him on the shoulder.

'Natsu! That's rude. Besides, it was only thanks to Juvia allowing us to breathe underwater that we could even get in there.' Chided Mira cheekily.

'I guess…' Said Natsu uncertainly, looking at Umi in suspicion.

'Well, since there is no problem being completely upfront now… when I went inside the temple one time, I saw the warning of the water spirit, didn't really want to test my luck though.' Said Umi, before raising her hand to her mouth and laughing pompously.

'I knew it! You could have at least warned us about the spirit though, if anything, it just would have made me more excited.' Said Natsu, with a frown.

'You would be in the minority then, because when I revealed the truth before to other mages, they dropped the request.' Said Umi calmly.

'Well, they weren't Fairy Tail mages! We always get the job done!' Cheered Natsu, puffing his chest out.

'Hmm, well, I'll remember that for the future. In any case, come back to the house and I'll give you your jewels. Although, I'll be holding on to this.' Said Umi, before taking the gem from Juvia and examining it.

'Magnificent. Well, come by the house soon. I'll probably be moving somewhere else in the next day or so… unless you don't want your reward.' Said Umi cheerfully, before laughing again and walking off.

'She's weird.' Said Natsu, once Umi was no longer in view, before looking around and spotting something.

'That's weird, those heads I punched off the Hydra are still here.' Said Natsu in surprise, walking over to the three severed heads.

'Hmm, this gives me a great idea.' Muttered Natsu to himself.


	6. Image

**Well, this is the last update for MOTR, before I switch to AMH. In fact, I've just written the chapter for AMH today and now, only need to proofread it and have already started on the next.**

 **In other news, I graduated this week, so that is now out of the way.**

 **However, the weather here is making it ridiculously hard to write. The average temperature is 35-40 degrees these days, which is torture, since I can barely do anything. (40 degrees (Celsius) is 104 degrees (Fahrenheit), or, if you are science minded 313 Kelvin).**

 **That being said, I have been doing one thing and that would be watching a lot of The Batman, the animated series. In light of this and Arkham Knight, I find myself wanting to write a Batman fanfiction… I'm trying to restrain myself, since I already have so many… but would any of you be interested in me writing a Batman fanfic?**

 **I have the whole story planned out, surprisingly, the pairing, the main villain, the supporting cast, a bunch of twists and basically the whole road map for the story… but I am really hesitant to start it…**

 **Please let me know, if you would like for me to write a Batman fanfic.**

 **Shifting focus back to this story though, you will see in this chapter, the changes I am going to implement. In this rendition, I quite like the idea of Natsu frequently interacting with the Council and plan to make them at least a semi-regular fixture.**

 **That being said, there may be some of you worrying about the lack of Juvia so far… well, I don't consider it a lack, but she hasn't been a massive focus, yet.**

 **The fact is, whenever I read a story, where the new girl instantly becomes everything the new MC lives, thinks and breathes for, makes me cringe. It is actually why I am quite weary of most NaLu and NaLi stories on this site, since those two tend to do that a lot. If not from Lucy joining the guild and suddenly snaring Natsu's being, it is when Lisanna comes back from Edolas and Natsu forgets about everyone else.**

 **Rest assured, Juvia will have a huge focus in this story because she *small spoiler* is very intertwined with Natsu. I know some of you already know how, but some of you don't, so I won't spoil it yet, but have no fear, Juvia is going to have a lot of time dedicated to her, I'm just setting the stage first.**

 **Well, that's all for now and enjoy the chapter.  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 6 – Image __

The Fairy Tail guild hall was full of laughter and noise. Numerous mages were drinking and enjoying lively conversation, when suddenly, the doors were kicked in. Everyone looked to the door and saw three massive serpentine heads. A few mages actually recoiled at the sight, before hearing laughter, coming from behind one of the heads. After a moment, a familiar mop of hair was revealed.

'We're back!' Cheered Natsu, as he, Mira and Juvia, were all holding a severed head in front of them.

'What the hell is that?' Shouted Gray in shock.

'Hydra head.' Said Natsu simply.

'Where did you get a Hydra head from, Natsu?' Asked Lucy nervously.

'On our job. I got to fight a Hydra… well, a Hydra spirit actually, well, a water spirit taking the form of a Hydra… in any case, we all get a head for a souvenir.' Said Natsu quickly.

'Only someone as stupid as you, would want a severed head for a souvenir.' Scoffed Gray.

'Actually, Gray, I liked the idea as well. I can keep it in the guild hall now, as a reminder to people.' Said Mira, with a smile, while giving off an ominous aura, which caused a few people to gulp nervously.

No one had the courage to ask, exactly what the severed head was to serve as a reminder for, but, given the impression Mira had had on everyone before she left, no one was going to press the issue.

'Juvia also thinks it is nice to have a memory, of Juvia's first mission as a Fairy Tail mage.' Said Juvia shyly, only showing a little of her face from behind the Hydra head.

'Ah, that's right, this was Juvia's first mission as a Fairy Tail mage, this calls for a party!' Shouted Makarov, getting cheers from everyone, as beer was suddenly free flowing.

Natsu, Juvia and Mira all walked over to a table and sat down, placing their Hydra heads to the side and behind them, with Natsu's behind him, as he sat in the middle of the two, with Juvia and Mira placing their heads beside them. Shortly afterwards, Lucy tentatively walked over to the group and sat down with them.

'So did we miss anything?' Asked Natsu.

'Not much… oh, Loke is apparently actually Leo the Lion, the Celestial Spirit.' Said Lucy.

'Oh, that's cool… wait what?' Said Natsu calmly, before exclaiming in surprise towards the end.

'Yeah, it is a long story, but apparently, he couldn't go back to the Celestial Spirit world and it was slowly killing him, but…' Started Lucy, before Loke, suddenly appeared next to Lucy.

'Lucy's love saved me.' Declared Loke, causing Lucy to back off.

'Loke! Don't just suddenly pop out of nowhere like that, you scared me!' Cried Lucy in alarm, holding her hand over her chest.

'So, are you really a lion then?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Aye, Loke is a grown up cat.' Said Happy happily, as he landed on the table.

'Oh, hey Happy, want some fish?' Offered Natsu, trying to cheer up his best friend for before.

Happy slowly looked over to Mira, who merely gave him a smile, causing him to shudder.

'N-no thanks, I had plenty already.' Said Happy nervously, causing Natsu to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

'Anyway, as I was saying…' Started Lucy, getting Natsu to look back at her.

'Loke gave us some tickets to a resort and since we haven't been able to go on any missions together recently, I thought it'd be nice for you to come too. Erza and Gray already got a ticket as well.' Said Lucy happily.

'Hehe, thanks Lucy. That sounds nice.' Said Natsu softly, causing Lucy to look at Natsu in surprise.

Mira also looked over to Natsu and gave a sad smile of her own, knowing why Natsu had reacted that way. Juvia, on the other hand, started to think it was because Lucy was her love rival, who had just gained some ground.

'I wouldn't mind coming as well. It would be nice to have a break.' Said Mira thoughtfully.

'Juvia wants to go too.' Said Juvia quickly.

'Well, I'm sure we can all go, we did all get one million jewels each, on that last job.' Said Natsu, causing Lucy to gape.

'One million jewels each!' Shouted Lucy in extreme shock.

'Yeah, the client was loaded, so she said if we did the mission fast, she'd triple the reward.' Explained Natsu.

Lucy suddenly clenched her fist and cried bitter tears.

'And I barely managed to even make my rent this month, after dozens of jobs with Erza and Gray… who destroy everything!' Cried Lucy unhappily.

'Ah, if it makes you feel better, I can treat you to whatever you want when we get there, since you're inviting me. I barely even use my money, since most of it just goes towards food for me and Happy. Plus, since I haven't gotten to destroy anything for ages, well, except that Hydra spirit thingy on the last job, I've got plenty to spare.' Offered Natsu cheerfully.

'You're the best Natsu!' Cried Lucy happily.

'Just a minute there Natsu.' Said Makarov, as he walked over to the group.

'What's up gramps?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'I'm afraid you won't be able to go to that resort immediately, as the Council has summoned you. You're finally going to get your Wizard Saint Medal my boy. Apparently, your client gave a rather beaming commendation of your skills, causing the Council to hasten things.' Said Makarov, standing at the head of the table.

'Oh… well, that's good I suppose, I can always catch up with you guys later.' Said Natsu, somewhat sadly, as he turned to Lucy.

'Well, we will be there for a few days, so maybe you can still come and join us later.' Said Lucy optimistically.

'Alright, that's sounds good. I'll get going right now then.' Declared Natsu excitedly, as he stood up.

'Aye.' Cheered Happy.

'Hmm, are you coming along with me this time, Happy?' Asked Natsu teasingly.

'Of course, I'm your partner, aren't I?' Said Happy.

'Hmm, I don't know, you did kind of leave me behind last time… maybe you should just go with the others and I can catch up with you there.' Said Natsu.

Happy took one nervous glance at Mira, before leaping onto Natsu's shoulder.

'I'll never leave you behind again.' Promised Happy.

'Haha, that's more like it! Let's just go drop this head off at home, then we can head straight for the Council!' Exclaimed Natsu, before grabbing his souvenir and headed towards the door.

The group watched Natsu leave, before he suddenly paused and turned back to the group. Natsu quickly placed the serpentine head back on the ground and rummaged in his pants for something.

'Aha! Well, since you guys are going ahead, here's about fifty thousand jewels, Lucy, since I did say I'd treat you, hopefully that should cover you until I get there.' Said Natsu happily, tossing a small bag on the table towards Lucy, before picking up the head again and leaving.

Lucy grabbed the bag almost reverently.

'This is two and a half months rent… Natsu truly is a saint!' Said Lucy, crying tears of joy.

The group was yet again surprised, when Natsu came back once more.

'Wait, you mean because of Umi, they're now more interested in making me a Wizard Saint?' Asked Natsu.

'Well, considering she was a rather skilled treasure hunter, it isn't too surprising to think a good word from her, would sway the Council.' Said Mira thoughtfully, only to hear a heavy thud.

'You did a job for Treasure Queen Umi?' Asked Levy in shock, quickly approaching the group.

'Treasure Queen? I don't know about that, but she had a bunch of pictures of rare stuff… so probably.' Said Natsu thoughtfully.

'You don't understand! Umi is the most famous treasure hunter of the century! Entire guilds can't match her abilities.' Said Levy.

'Ah, well, that's great I suppose.' Said Natsu uncertainly.

'If you'd like, we could tell you about her and the job?' Offered Mira, only to get an almost instantaneous acceptance from Levy.

'Alright, I'll be off then, this time for sure.' Said Natsu, before leaving.

'Well, what are you all dawdling for, let's go.' Said Erza, suddenly appearing in front of the group, after Natsu had left.

'Oh, Erza, where did you happen to be?' Asked Mira sweetly, but everyone heard the warning undertone to it.

'I-I was preparing for the trip.' Stammered Erza quickly.

'I see and you come now, once Natsu has left, how sad.' Said Mira, in the same tone.

Erza looked down slightly at this. It didn't need to be said directly, but Erza was clearly avoiding Natsu and Mira knew this and didn't like how Natsu was being affected by it.

'In any case, we should leave now and Natsu can meet with us all soon.' Said Erza, before leaving.

'Sorry Levy, guess we need to go now, but we can tell you all about the job when we get back.' Said Mira kindly.

Levy gave a small pout at this, but nodded in acceptance.

'Well, guess we should be off as well then.' Said Mira, with Lucy and Juvia agreeing, before leaving.

Makarov sighed, as he watched his children leave.

"This issue needs to be resolved soon." Thought Makarov tiredly, before going to get a drink.

 _-line break-_

The trip back to the Council headquarters was a rather quick one, taking only a few hours, as Natsu had decided to challenge Happy to a couple of races, with his flames. To Happy's credit, he did in fact win most of the races, but only when he went at his max speed.

'Well, if you don't want fish, what do you want to get after this?' Asked Natsu to Happy, who was on his shoulder, as they walked up to the building, they had been summoned to.

'Just… not fish… anything but fish.' Said Happy, giving a small shudder.

Natsu raised an eyebrow again, confused at Happy's actions, before shrugging it off for the moment, as they made their way to where Natsu had been told to go, by a Rune Knight.

'I wonder why they aren't in the main room they are always in… maybe because I'm not in trouble this time?' Wondered Natsu allowed.

'Maybe they keep the Wizard Saint stuff in a secret place.' Suggested Happy.

'Actually, it is because we are having an informal meeting of sorts currently.' Said Ultear, walking up to the pair.

'You don't smell like anything.' Said Natsu suspiciously.

'Ah, that is because I am only a thought projection, the meeting may be informal, but it is rather important and none of us could leave to get you.' Explained Ultear.

'Natsu, who is this person?' Asked Happy cutely.

'This is Ultear… does having Happy here count as not being private?' Started Natsu, before asking Ultear how he should address her.

'You can call me Ultear. It's fine. Aside from anything official, you don't need to refer to me as anything formal.' Said Ultear, with a smile.

'Ah, okay then. Well, this is Ultear, she's pretty smart and likes to cross-dress.' Said Natsu, in his usual manner, but Ultear noticed his eyes dancing with amusement.

'D-do you like fish?' Asked Happy nervously.

'I don't dislike them.' Said Ultear, with a hint of confusion, when Happy released a sigh.

'Okay then Natsu, we can get fish after this!' Said Happy triumphantly, confusing Natsu.

'Alright… so are you going to lead us to where I need to go then?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Of course, follow me.' Said Ultear, before turning on her heel and leaving, with Natsu and Happy following.

'Ne, Natsu, if this person is important, do you think she can ban… Winged Fish?' Asked Happy nervously.

'What? What are you talking about Happy?' Asked Natsu, with a bewildered expression, which only increased, when Happy started sniffling.

'The demon came back and made me eat so many Winged Fish…*sniff* it was cruel and unusual punishment and all I did was let people have as much beer as they wanted.' Said Happy sadly.

'The demon? Mira?' Said Natsu questioningly.

'Really? You call your girlfriend the demon?' Said Ultear mirthfully.

'I've already said it before, Mira isn't my girlfriend.' Retorted Natsu dryly.

'Natsu! I figured something out! This lady should be your girlfriend, then she can protect me from Winged Fish!' Exclaimed Happy in excitement.

'Firstly… how the hell do you get to the point of Ultear being my girlfriend? Secondly, how is she going to protect you from Winged Fish? They can't even hurt you.' Questioned Natsu in astonishment, as Ultear gave a small laugh.

'Well, if she keeps teasing you with… Mira… being your girlfriend, it means she is checking that you still don't have one yet. This can only mean she wants to be your girlfriend. Secondly, she can protect me from Winged Fish, by banning them from being sold, so… Mira… can't force me to eat them again.' Explained Happy, in a lecturing manner, nodding his head as he spoke, but shuddering every time he said Mira's name.

'… Happy… I love you, but there is something very wrong with your brain.' Said Natsu flatly, causing Happy to gasp.

'Oh, does that mean you would not want me for a girlfriend? I'll have you know, most people would find me rather attractive.' Said Ultear, faking being hurt.

'Firstly, I'm not even looking for a girlfriend right now, Happy just likes to oversell and exaggerate things. In the past few days alone, he has accused me of betraying Lucy, drinking Juvia's fluids and now this, and this is only within the space of a few days. Secondly, I said nothing about your attractiveness and if you already have a bunch of other people thinking you are attractive, why do you care what I think? Thirdly, Happy's reasoning for it has to do with Winged Fish, which still makes little sense to me.' Retorted Natsu.

'Well, in that case, firstly, everyone wants someone special in their life, is it so hard to think you might too? Secondly, just because the masses have a certain point of view… while that is important for the Council, I'd rather know what a select few people, who interest me think. Thirdly, you clearly aren't listening, since your girlfriend, force-fed your little friend Winged Fish, which, I'm told, taste horrible.' Countered Ultear.

Natsu merely huffed at this, but didn't reply.

'In any case, we are here now and will be waiting for you inside.' Said Ultear, after a minute, stopping outside a door.

'Fine, let's get this over with.' Yawned Natsu, still rather tired, from the past two days he had been put through.

It was only when Ultear faded away and Natsu walked closer to the door, that he started to pick up what was being said inside the room, he listened for a moment in interest, before his expression hardened, as he heard what was being said. As he knocked, the chatter stopped, before a gruff voice told him to enter.

Natsu entered and saw the Council convened, but, they were lacking the Chairman.

'Hmm, what are you doing here?' Grunted Michello.

'Well, we did order him to come and receive his Wizard Saint medallion.' Quipped Ultear.

'In light of the situation, surely this was not the best time for this.' Said Org

'On the contrary, this has been overdue for days now. A Wizard Saint has never had the symbol of their status withheld before.' Countered Yajima.

'In any case, what were you saying, about some tower?' Asked Natsu seriously.

'It is rather rude to eavesdrop.' Commented Leiji, a hooded Councillor.

'Well, I heard you were going to risk innocent bystanders and I can't let that happen. I might have been destructive in the past, but I never hurt anyone.' Growled Natsu.

'You should mind your tone. It is all well and good to be passionate, but do remember who you are speaking to.' Said Belno.

'How about we cut the crap for a minute here then?' Snapped Natsu, surprising everyone, even Happy and Ultear, for different reasons.

'I know why I'm being made a Wizard Saint: to make the public approve of you. Well, I can say this, hurting innocent people will not be anything I ever support.' Growled Natsu.

'If you don't like what I have to say right now, you can drop this whole Wizard Saint rubbish and kick me to the side again, but you will listen to me.' Continued Natsu angrily.

'You are all about your image, only caring about how others see you, but if you actually cared about everyone, like I do, the world would love you just the same. You talk about the balance between guilds, but if Jose had fired his Jupiter Cannon, Magnolia would have been completely devastated and thousands would have died. Your rules are supposed to protect guilds, but they do absolutely nothing. Dark Guilds spring up just as much as Light Guilds and you never do anything to stop them.' Ranted Natsu, before taking a deep breath and calming himself down.

'Even now, you consider putting other people at risk. Where do you get off, deciding who deserves to be sacrificed or not? You guys are all human, just like everyone else out there. I can tell the Chairman isn't here, since I can't smell him, but I'll tell you exactly what he would say right now. Without me on your side, if this thing goes south, you are all going to lose your jobs. There will be no way to recover from this, so I'll make things easy for you all. I will do exactly what you all want from me and that is, to protect everyone, just like I always do, making you look good in the process. To add to that, I'll do what I'm practically famous for and destroy. Destroy this tower, which apparently, scares most of you enough, to consider sacrificing others like nothing. Then, when I succeed, not if, you can twist this however you want, so you don't all look like snivelling cowards, hell, even take all the credit for it and say you were the ones who sent me, but, at the end of the day, I will do what is right and you can all keep being spineless pencil pushers. Let's go Happy.' Finished Natsu calmly, before turning on his heel and leaving, leaving behind a stupefied Council.

There was pin drop silence in the room, following Natsu's outburst.

'H-how contemptuous… where does that boy get off, speaking to us like that.' Grumbled Org.

'Well, to discuss Etherion so casually, Natsu is correct in saying that there are lives at stake here and that we should not consider them so casually. That is why I am telling all of you to reconsider this course of action.' Said Yajima.

"How curious, Natsu… I'm honestly intrigued about how things will pan out from this point on… perhaps it may be more amusing for me to remain part of the Council, for just a little bit longer… to see what you will do next." Thought Ultear in fascination.

'I believe, in light of the truth in Salamander's words, I will change my vote, to vote against the firing of Etherion.' Said Ultear.

Everyone was surprised at this, especially considering Ultear was the first to vote in favour for firing the Etherion, after Siegrain had proposed it. That being said, none were more shocked than Siegrain himself.

"What on earth is Ultear doing?" Shouted Siegrain internally.

 _-line break-_

'Happy, let's do this, my flames and your max speed.' Said Natsu firmly.

'Okay, but why did you explode like that back there?' Asked Happy, as he picked Natsu up.

'I heard them say where that tower was… it is near where Lucy, Mira, Erza, Juvia and Gray are going and I'm not going to let them become casualties, just because the Council is scared.' Said Natsu steadfastly.

'Aye sir, Max Speed!' Shouted Happy, as Natsu's legs caught fire and the duo exploded through the sky.

"Just hang on everyone, I'm coming." Thought Natsu.


	7. Will

**Well, this is my last update for at least two weeks and possibly up to eight, as I'll have surgery this Monday and be unable to write for some time. Hopefully, I'll recover quickly and can get back to writing as soon as possible, but just in case this doesn't go smoothly, I just thought I'd let you all know, that I won't be updating anything for a bit.**

 **On to more pleasant news, I'm kicking off the Tower of Heaven arc, my favourite arc in Fairy Tail, so prepare for at least a few chapters dealing with the events themselves, i.e. the fights, but then, also a few dealing with the fallout, particularly in regards to Erza, Ultear, the Council and… Juvia! Yes, after this arc, Juvia will be coming into prominence and it is long overdue, considering the main pairing of this story is Natsu/Juvia.**

 **Well, enjoy the chapter for now and I'll be back to writing as soon as I can.  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 7 – Will __

'We're here!' Exclaimed Lucy in excitement and a bit of relief, as the group had finally reached Akane Resort.

The journey had been short, but the palpable tension felt on it, made for a very uncomfortable ride. Mira had practically bored a hole into Erza's head, who, for once, could not match up to her rival and avoided her gaze at all costs.

'We should get unpacked as quick as possible.' Said Erza firmly, only to falter a moment later.

'Great idea, Erza.' Said Mira sweetly, but it still caused the knight to flinch.

'On it.' Said Gray, missing the note of malice in Mira's voice and heading in to the resort.

Lucy quickly followed, not quite sure of what was going on between Mira and Erza, but wanting no part to do with it whatsoever.

Juvia spared a glance at the two mages, before following after Lucy.

'Relax, Erza. This is exactly what we all need right now to unwind. Why so serious?' Asked Mira, with a smile.

'I'm fine.' Said Erza anxiously, before heading after the other three.

Mira merely smiled, as she watched Erza walk away.

"I've still got it." Thought Mira viciously, enjoying how easily she was unnerving her rival.

 _-line break-_

The group had spent the day enjoying themselves at the beach. Mira eased up on Erza, taking the time to relax herself, for which the knight was grateful. Juvia was rather disappointed at the lack of a certain Dragon Slayer, but instead took the time to examine her self-proclaimed rivals. As the sun set, the group headed back to their rooms, with Erza deciding to take a nap.

 _'Erza, in this world, freedom is merely an illusion.'_

Erza suddenly woke up, remembering a set of events she would rather forget. Slamming her fist into a nearby pillar, Erza walked over to a mirror and examined herself. To most, they would have seen a voluptuous red head, with a delicate face of unmatched beauty, but Erza… Erza couldn't help seeing a weak willed, dishevelled girl.

With a little bit of magic, Erza requipped into her standard set of armour.

"I suppose even now, I'm still most at ease in armour. There really isn't changing a girl like me." Thought Erza weakly.

'Erza! They've got a casino in the basement, want to check it out?' Asked Lucy, barging into the redhead's room, as though she didn't understand the idea of knocking. Lucy was wearing a pair of shorts, that could have passed for underwear and a top, with a large flower sewn on her left breast.

'I'm not really fond of gambling.' Said Erza.

'Why not, you're on vacation, you should enjoy yourself?' Said a familiar voice, which froze Erza once again.

'Mira, I didn't know you came up with me as well.' Said Lucy in surprise.

Mira was wearing an elegant black dress, with white lace frills around the arms and bust of the dress, along with a set of frills around the dress at mid-thigh. The dress reached to her ankles and she wore simple, red, high-heeled shoes.

'Well, I know how stubborn Erza can get, so I figured I'd come help you. You'll come and join the rest of us, won't you, Erza.' Said Mira happily, not leaving any room for disagreement, on the part of the redhead.

'Of course.' Said Erza, requipping into an elegant purple dress, decorated with numerous pink flowers, woven into the design of the dress.

 _-line break-_

The three made their way down, before Mira broke away from the two, causing Erza to unconsciously release the breath she had been holding. The duo of Erza and Lucy made their way to the poker table, where Erza started to clean out the casino.

'Wow, you're amazing Erza!' Exclaimed Lucy, hugging her friend.

'What can I say, luck is on my side today. Right now, I feel like I can't lose no matter who I'm against.' Said Erza confidently, ignoring the image of a certain barmaid, which popped into her head.

'In that case, why don't we play a special game? Instead of betting with coins though, let's bet, with our lives.' Said a new voice, which Erza seemed to vaguely recognise.

Looking up, Erza saw a tanned face and blond hair.

'It's been a while, big sis.' Said the man.

'Shou, you were safe…' Said Erza quietly.

'Safe?' Asked Shou.

'Ah no, I mean…' Said Erza weakly, sweating trailing down her face.

The lights suddenly disappeared and when they came back on, Lucy and Erza were alone.

'What happened to everyone?' Asked Lucy, only for the sound of cards hitting the floor to draw their attention.

'They're in here.' Said Shou calmly.

'I learned how to use magic too.' Continued Shou proudly.

'Magic?' Asked Erza in surprise.

'Of course, I'm not the only one either.' Said Shou, before a strange orange tube wrapped around Lucy and pulled her towards the one who had thrown it.

'Meow, feeling spiffy.' Said a girl, with cat like ears on her head.

'Millianna… you can use magic too?' Said Erza, getting a smile from the cat-girl.

'Long time no see, Erza.' Said Millianna.

'Let go of Lucy, she's my friend!' Said Erza.

'Friends? Weren't we your friends… that is, until you betrayed us of course.' Said Shou darkly, causing Erza to grip her sides and tremble, as she avoided Shou's gaze.

A loud crash got everyone's attention, as a smoking pile of blocks, slammed into the ground near them.

'Betrayal? Erza might be a lot of things, but a traitor isn't one of them.' Said Mirajane, in a darker voice than usual.

Mira had transformed into her characteristic Satan Soul form and was making her way over to the group.

'Wally!' Cried Shou in alarm, only for Mira's clawed fist to slam into his jaw, sending him flying into the poker table, smashing it to smithereens.

'Shou!' Cried Millianna fearfully, as the she-demon approached her.

Mira ignored the cry and walked over to Lucy, before reaching for the tube around her and pulling harshly, destroying it. Lucy stumbled a little, before quickly retreating to Erza's side, as Mira glared down at Millianna. Millianna gave a small whimper, seeing those dark pools of malice staring down at her.

'Mira, stop! Please, these are my friends!' Pleaded Erza.

Mira continued to glare at Millianna for a moment, before turning to face Erza.

'Well, given how you've been treating your so called friends recently, I doubt I'm doing anything too bad by comparison.' Said Mira darkly, causing Erza to growl slightly, but turn her gaze away from Mira all the same.

'Look at me! You're pathetic Erza! You realise what you're doing and you won't even bother to face it head on, let alone try to fix it. You disgust me!' Spat Mira.

' **Nekousoku Tube**!' Cried Millianna, seeking to take advantage of Mira's distraction.

Millianna trembled fearfully, as without even turning to face her, Mira grabbed the orange tube in her clawed right hand and crushed it right before her eyes.

'I'm sorry, did you want to join your friends on the floor over there?' Asked Mira darkly, turning a glare full of malice, on the whimpering girl.

'Please stop. I believe there is some confusion that must be addressed.' Said a new voice.

A magic circle appeared on the floor a bit away from the group, before a large muscular man appeared.

'Simon.' Said Erza quietly.

Mira narrowed her eyes on the newcomer, ignoring the pitiful form of Millianna for the time being.

'Confusion? I don't know of any confusion right now; all I know, is that fool tried to attack me.' Said Mira, pointing at the crumpled form of Wally.

'And she, attacked one of my comrades.' Said Mira, sparing a glance at the humbled Millianna.

'Demon Mirajane, please listen to me, if what I say displeases you, you can feel free to take your anger out on me.' Said Simon calmly, even as the imposing woman glared at him.

'Fine, I'm listening, talk. Now.' Demanded Mira.

'Just a moment, the other two are coming.' Said Simon and sure enough, Juvia and Gray soon approached the pair.

'Hey, what are you doing here?' Asked Gray, glaring at Simon.

'Quiet, Gray! Now, talk.' Demanded Mira, silencing Gray.

'The truth is, we were sent to capture Erza for a plot, thought up by a man, named Jellal. Jellal and Erza were friends at one point, along with the rest of us. We were enslaved in something called the Tower of Heaven, by Zeref cultists and worked to the bone every day. Our time there was very harsh and we struggled for a long time. We attempted to escape once… but we were caught and Erza suffered for it.' Said Simon, causing Erza to grip her right elbow and look to the ground.

'It wasn't long after that, that Jellal was taken to be punished, for killing three guards in an attempt to reach Erza. At that time though, Erza led a revolt and unlocked her magic. After that, we all escaped to the boats, ready to flee our site of enslavement, only for Jellal to come back and stop us, claiming Erza had gone mad due to her magic power.' Continued Simon.

'And even though you have magic now and didn't go insane, you still believe that?' Asked Mira, with narrowed eyes.

'No. Jellal too had magic power from that point on, making me infinitely suspicious of his words. I for one, never believed Jellal from the beginning. I always trusted Erza.' Said Simon, getting Erza to look up at him gratefully.

'Simon…' Said Erza happily.

'However, my plan was to lure all of you to the tower, to help us fight Jellal. Out of all of us, Jellal is still worlds above us and we would have stood no chance against him.' Said Simon.

'Simon… what are you saying… these lies…' Uttered Shou, regaining consciousness.

'They are not lies Shou, they are the truth.' Said Simon.

'They can't be! For eight years, eight years! We've been working on that tower because Jellal saved us. Are you telling me now that was all a lie?' Shouted Shou.

'I'm sorry Shou, I should have come back for the rest of you, but Jellal said he would kill you all if I did.' Said Erza.

'So even then you were a coward, Erza.' Snorted Mira.

Erza frowned, raising her head to glare at Mira, only to falter at the sight. Mira was glowing in purple energy and her normally soft blue eyes looked at her with contempt.

'I guess you make it a habit of giving up, when things don't go your way. You and this Jellal fellow would have got your powers at the same time, from the sound of things, so why didn't you fight him? Why didn't you beat him and get freedom for everyone?' Asked Mira harshly.

'Jellal was too strong, he would have defeated me easily.' Said Erza weakly, looking to the ground again.

Mira growled and walked over to Erza, before a clawed hand grabbed the knight's dress and pulled her up to meet the demon.

'You are weak, Erza. Not in your magic, not in power, in your spirit. That fact, that even after all this time, you can't move on from all of this, proves just how weak you are. You act like you're the strongest at the guild, trying to order everyone around like you're the boss, but you're a shell. A weak woman, dwelling on the past, unable to move on. You think you had it rough? Newsflash, Erza, everyone at Fairy Tail has! Do you think you past was worse than mine? You were enslaved, but I was hunted. You never had to fear that people after you may come for your family, yet I was worried about that exact thing every single day. I went weeks without sleeping, so I could keep my family safe. You prattle on about you being an S-Class mage and how you are my senior… I should put you down right now for even thinking you can match me, let alone surpass me. My own sister died in front of me because of my weakness, killed by my own brother and I still push through each and every day. True, I only regained my magic recently, but the fact of the matter is this: whether it is big or small, you always give up. That's why I've been so angry with you. You gave up on your friends from your past and even now, you're giving up on your friends of the present. Wake up, Erza!' Roared Mira, before dropping the redhead to the floor in contempt.

No one could find it in themselves to speak, not the shaken members of Fairy Tail, nor the current denizens of the Tower of Heaven. Erza laid there on the ground in a heap, collapsed on her knees, her head slumped.

'So, you want us to defeat Jellal, is that it?' Asked Mira, turning to Simon.

'Yes. I'm sure that with all of us working together, we stand a chance of defeating Jellal and ending his plans of insanity.' Said Simon calmly.

'Fine then, lead the way, I came here to relax, but if I need to put someone down first, then I'll just need to make it quick.' Said Mira.

'Mira… I'm sorry.' Said Erza quietly, but everyone still heard it.

Mira turned to face her rival and scowled at her slumped form.

'I told you everyone at Fairy Tail has had it rough. In fact, someone was already abandoned twice, before finding their way there, but that didn't stop them, because they had friends at Fairy Tail, you included.' Said Mira, sparing a brief glance to Gray as well, who quickly looked away.

'However, you abandoned him a third time, someone he thought would stick with him through thick and thin, someone he thought was his friend!' Said Mira in anger.

'If there is anyone you should apologise to, it's him, since even at my darkest, he was there for me. You on the other hand, left him for no good reason. All he had done was outshine you in one way, but that was too much for your twisted ego. You better apologise to him Erza, or I will show you just why I am the demon and finally prove who is the strongest between the two of us.' Said Mira, before turning to Simon.

'Well, let's go then.' Snapped Mira, getting the large man to nod.

'Very well, please follow me.' Said Simon, before walking off, with Mira quickly following.

Millianna quickly helped Wally up, while Lucy walked over to Gray and Juvia, who soon followed after Simon. Shou spared a glance at Erza, before leaving with Wally and Millianna, leaving Erza alone again.

"I'm sorry for being so selfish. I'm sorry, Natsu. I only hope you'll forgive me and let me be your friend once again." Thought Erza sadly, as a tear dropped, from her left eye.

 _-line break-_

The group were led to a large sailing boat, which they quickly boarded. Everyone was still eerily quiet after Mira's outburst, with everyone giving the mage plenty of space. The fact that her tail was twitching behind her in irritation, did nothing to encourage them to approach her.

The two groups remained split, as even with Simon's confirmation of Jellal's treachery, the others weren't quite ready to embrace Erza, who seemed to want to be alone right now anyway. Lucy, Gray and Juvia were on the other side of the boat, from Simon and the others, with Erza a bit removed from them, sitting closer to the middle of the boat, while the agitated demon stood towards the front of the boat, observing the horizon.

 _-line break-_

'How can all of you sit here and say that Etherion is not the right course of action?' Asked Siegrain in annoyance.

'You had your chance to convince us, Siegrain, but even your initial support in the form of Ultear has been withdrawn, after that… speech… by Salamander.' Said Org.

'So because of what one mage thinks, you're all just going to fall down like a bunch of agreeable dominos?' Asked Siegrain in outrage.

'It is not a matter of falling down, Salamander made a very valid point. Even if the Etherion is successful in stopping the R system from being used, if word got out that there was another way to handle things and that innocents were harmed, it would be our necks on the line.' Commented Belno.

'Isn't that what we have jobs for though? To make the hard decisions where no one else could. Isn't it our job as leaders to ensure the best possible outcome for the magical community?' Pressed Siegrain.

'You seem to be pushing the idea of firing Etherion for a reason none of us are privy to, Siegrain. Care to explain?' Asked Yajima calmly.

'I… yes… I didn't want to cast any unnecessary aversions upon myself, but I in fact know the man behind this last tower. The man's name is Jellal, my twin brother.' Said Siegrain reluctantly.

'That is rather important information, Siegrain, why did you withhold it from us?' Asked Ultear calmly, even though she was smirking on the inside, even as Siegrain levelled a small glare at her.

'I've been monitoring the situation for a while now, trying to stop my brother before things escalated to this point… that's why, at this stage, I know Etherion is the only answer.' Said Siegrain calmly.

'So you mean to say that Salamander stands no chance, of destroying this tower, a mage famed for his destructive capabilities?' Queried Org.

'If he can, he would be the first in history. The Tower of Heaven is nothing something to be taken lightly, that is why we need to take action now.' Reiterated Siegrain.

'I don't know if this is the best course of action. The boy was right about us needing him on our side.' Grunted Michello unhappily.

'Would you fools stop thinking about your jobs for once!' Shouted Siegrain, starting to lose his composure.

'Don't you feel it? The build-up of dark magic. Black Mage Zeref, that is who my brother is trying to revive!' Exclaimed Siegrain, stunning the others.

The majority of the Councillors looked at Siegrain in shock, while Ultear merely hid her reaction behind her sleeve, hiding the fact that she was smirking.

"So foolish, Siegrain. You were so easy to trick then and even easier to continue fooling. Did you really think an immortal mage could perish, or even more unlikely, that he would contact a young boy, of all people, to revive him?" Thought Ultear in amusement, as the Councillors started to change their mind on firing Etherion, with all but Yajima suddenly being on-board with the idea.

'All the same, are the rest of you truly sure you don't want to let Salamander try his hand at things first? He has already been able to defeat two of Zeref's demons, what makes you think he won't be able to stop this?' Asked Ultear, surprising the others.

'Are you willing to risk the end of the world on one mage's shoulders?' Asked Michello.

'Are you all willing to risk your jobs, reputation and possibly your lives on Etherion?' Asked Ultear back.

The Councillors paused to think about this, causing Siegrain to internally growl in frustration.

"Damn it Ultear, why are you making these old fools second guess themselves?" Thought Siegrain in frustration.

 _-line break-_

High up in the Tower of Heaven, a hooded man frowned in annoyance, before smiling.

'Well, things may be slowing down on that end, but it looks like the fun is about to begin, now that those fools and Fairy Tail, are finally here.' Said the man, giving a malicious smirk.


	8. Rules of Engagement

**So, a bit of note as to why my updates have slowed down a bit recently. For one thing, it has been extremely hot here, with multiple nights being 30 degrees plus, making it hell for me to sit in my small room and write, as my computer heats things up more.**

 **In addition to that, I have decided to give One Piece another try. Five years ago I started reading Fairy Tail and found it boring, last year (well, last year and a fortnight) I picked it up again and it spawned more than half a dozen fics from me. Considering that I actually didn't find One Piece boring the first time around and it was the seventh replay of the Crocodile Arc on my morning cartoon watching which made me give up on it, which was ten years ago, I figure I owe it to myself to at least give it a decent watch… that and the fact that Bleach is now finished so I need another weekly manga to keep me going through the weeks, as I'm only reading Fairy Tail now.**

 **In any case, there a few days of cooler weather coming now, so I should be able to get out an update or two soon. I'm about halfway through an update for one of my Bleach stories now and will probably move on to the other one after that, as I'm on a bit of a Bleach kick now.**

 **In any case, enjoy the chapter and thanks for reading.  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 8 – Rules of Engagement

The boat containing the vacationing Fairy Tail mages and their would be captors pulled up to the base of the Tower of Heaven. Simon disembarked from the ship first, with Mira following immediately after. The others hesitated for a moment, before following suit, joining their comrades.

'Well, what is this plan of yours? I'm assuming since you wanted us to come to the tower, you have a plan of action.' Asked Mira.

'I do. It was always my intention for us to stick together, as Jellal may have hired other people to ensure everything goes smoothly. Jellal is at the very top of the tower and is there right now.' Started Simon.

'Then I'll end this right now.' Said Mira, preparing to fly up, only for Simon to grab her arm.

'Let go of me.' Demanded Mira.

'Please wait! Jellal has power on par with a Wizard Saint, no one other than a Wizard Saint can defeat him in one on one combat, that is why we need to face him as a group.' Said Simon, before letting go of Mira.

'Fine then, lead the way.' Said Mira, to which Simon nodded.

'Please follow me then.' Said Simon, before making his way into the tower.

Mira was not more than a step behind Simon and the others followed after.

'Are we sure this is a good idea? I mean, is this Jellal person really just going to let us all ambush him?' Asked Lucy, eyes darting around in worry.

'No, there is a good chance he even knows we are coming for him. Jellal is perceptive that way.' Said Simon.

'And you would be right, Simon.' Said a disembodied voice, coming from multiple mouths, which suddenly appeared on the walls of the tower.

'I see you revealed your hand, Simon. I only hope it is good enough for you to win here. You see, I have in fact hired a little help, since I had anticipated at least you defecting at some point. Who would have thought you would have convinced the others too?' Continued the voice.

'We only told them the truth.' Said Simon, referring to Erza and himself.

'Ah, that explains it.' Said the voice.

'Jellal! You lied to us! You used us!' Shouted Shou in anguish.

'Indeed I did. You did make a good pawn, Shou. You weren't the brightest, but your blind devotion was appreciated.' Said the voice.

'So it was all true after all.' Commented Wally, with Millianna appearing as though someone had stolen her favourite toy.

'In any case, here are the terms of engagement. You see, I've arranged a little entertainment. At this moment, the Magic Council is discussing using Etherion on this little tower of ours. It could strike at any time now without warning. On the other hand, I require my target, Erza Scarlet, in order to fulfil my goals and activate the Tower of Heaven. Either way, should you defeat me, then you win. If I get my hands on Erza Scarlet before Etherion fires, I win. However, I wouldn't want things to be too easy and for that reason, Trinity Raven is within this tower as well and their goal is to bring me Erza Scarlet, but their secondary purpose is to defeat each and every one of you. Fairy Tail mages and traitors alike, let the games begin.' Said the mouths, before they melded back into the walls.

'Well, you've heard the situation now I suppose. We need to get up there and stop Jellal, but Trinity Raven… we stand no hope against them alone and need to work together.' Said Simon.

'We'll see.' Said Mira.

'We need to move, quickly!' Urged Simon, leading them towards a staircase.

As the group climbed the staircase, they were met with two dozen mages at the top of it wielding numerous weapons.

'Attack!' Shouted one of the men, before they were all blasted away, by a wave of dark energy, compliments of Mira, knocking them all out.

'Let's go.' Barked Mira, getting a nod from Simon.

The group climbed up another staircase, only to come across a split in the road, going towards three separate paths.

'Behind each tunnel is a member of Trinity Raven. Choose wisely how you go about getting past them, as only one path leads to me and you don't have time to spare.' Said Jellal, appearing as two dozen mouths along the tower walls again.

'Damnit, he's right! There is no telling when Etherion will strike.' Cursed Simon.

'It's really simple then, we split up. Juvia, you take Lucy and cat girl along the path to the right. Gray, you go with Simon and block face along the left path. Erza, you're coming with me straight through the middle.' Ordered Mira quickly, only for someone to disagree with her plan.

'No, I won't let you hurt sis!' Shouted Shou, before Erza disappeared from view and Shou ran down the central path.

Mira sighed and placed her palm on her forehead.

'I was going to tell him to stay here, since he is the weakest among us, but he very likely just went down the most dangerous path.' Complained Mira.

'What makes you think your path is the most dangerous?' Asked Simon.

'Simple, I can feel the power of the mages inside each path to a rough degree. Now though, I'm going to have babysit two people instead of one, just great. Anyway, get moving people.' Said Mira, before flapping her wings and shooting off down her path.

'Well, we might as well follow her plan then. Wally, Gray, come with me.' Said Simon, getting a nod from Gray and a tip of the hat from Wally, before the trio headed to the left.

'Juvia thinks we should move as well.' Said Juvia, before starting to walk off towards the right.

Lucy gave a small groan before following after, Millianna walking beside her.

'Your friend Mira is pretty scary.' Commented Millianna.

'Yeah… but she isn't normally like this. She's a model and one of the nicest people in Fairy Tail. Something's changed her these past few days and it's frightening. It's like she is a completely different person.' Admitted Lucy.

'You shouldn't talk about Mirajane behind her back, Lucy.' Said Juvia, turning back to look at the two.

'But she's been acting so different.' Protested Lucy.

'Well, Juvia never saw how Mirajane acted before, so Juvia will take your word for it. However, Mirajane has shown herself to be quite powerful these past few days.' Said Juvia calmly, as they started to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

'I guess…' Said Lucy, trailing off at the end.

The trio walked in silence from that point on, as they neared the light at the end of the tunnel. As the three past into the light, it took a moment for their eyes to adjust, but they focused very quickly on the man in front of them.

'Oh yeah, three lovely ladies. I can't wait to have some fun with all of you.' Catcalled a man, who looked more at home in a band than an assassins' guild. His long dark hair stood out the most, but the tattoos and spiked shoulder pads were also of note.

'I'm Vidaldus Taka, a member of Trinity Raven and for the next few moments, your entertainment.' Said the man introducing himself, before strumming his guitar.

'Ugh, that sounds terrible.' Whined Lucy, with Millianna whining in agreement.

'It's actually quite good, but we don't have time for this, **Water Lock**.' Said Juvia, raising her arms towards the man.

'Did you say rock?' Asked Vidaldus in excitement, before being engulfed in a dome of water.

'Way to go Juvia, you did it.' Cheered Lucy, only for what happened next to stun the trio.

Vidaldus' hair started to swirl within the dome of water and seemingly sucked it away into his hair, leaving the man dry as he was a few seconds ago.

'Ah, water is just the thing for your hair in the morning. No shampoo though, as the hair won't like it.' Said Vidaldus, sticking his tongue out and grinning.

'That's not right at all, you need to wash your hair more frequently when it gets long, or the oil builds up.' Disagreed Lucy.

'Meow, is this really the time to be discussing hair care?' Asked Millianna.

'Well why not? I'm sure Juvia agrees, that's why she cut her hair. I have to take extra care of my hair too.' Said Lucy, causing Juvia to glance back at her.

'Must you remind me of my shortcomings, Love Rival?' Hissed Juvia, confusing Lucy.

'What did I say?' Whined Lucy.

'Okay, time to see which one of you girls will be my succubus today. How to choose though?' Hummed Vidaldus.

'How about none of us?' Suggested Lucy.

'Yes, Juvia will defeat you now, **Water Cane**.' Said Juvia, swinging her hand out at Vidaldus, which turned into a whip-like extension of water and gouged a deep line into the rocky wall behind where he had stood, having jumped to the side to avoid being hit.

'Oh, I like you girlie. Rock and whips, you should be with me, we could pull of a great performance together.' Said Vidaldus, swinging his head around in excitement.

'Juvia is not available. **Water Slicer**.' Said Juvia, swinging her hand again, this time launching numerous scythe-like projections of water at Vidaldus, getting a few scratches on him this time.

'Oh you bitch, that's it, I'm going to get serious with you now. You'll be screaming my name when I'm done with you!' Spat Vidaldus in anger.

 _-line break-_

'Be careful now, there is no telling who will be up against.' Warned Simon, as he led the way through the tunnel.

'With the three of us working together, everything should be dandy, Simon.' Commented Wally.

'It doesn't matter who it is. If they aren't as strong as a Wizard Saint, they won't be able to stop us. That and I don't really believe you on how strong this Jellal guy is supposed to be.' Added Gray.

'You would do well not to underestimate him. Not everyone can become a Wizard Saint.' Said Simon.

'Not according to what I've seen.' Scoffed Gray, confusing Simon, as they exited the tunnel.

'Ho, ho, evildoers, I, Fukuro, the avatar of justice, will defeat you evildoers.' Crowed a muscular man, with the head of an owl.

'Evildoers? You're the guys trying to kill us.' Pointed out Gray.

'Ho, ho, you seek to stop Master Jellal's honourable goal, therefore you three must be evildoers. Evildoers will be punished and face justice. I, Fukuro, will deliver this justice, prepare yourselves.' Said Fukuro, before two jets behind him exploded into action and launched him forwards at the trio.

Wally dematerialised and Gray leapt to the side to dodge. Simon, used his magic however, causing the room to go dark.

'Ho, foolish, the darkness is not your ally, I see all evil, even in the dark.' Said Fukuro, before slamming into Simon and launching him into the stone wall behind him, while simultaneously disrupting his magic, restoring light to the area.

'Simon!' Cried Wally, only for Fukuro to turn on him.

'Ho, perish along with your comrade.' Said Fukuro, before blasting off at Wally.

Wally faded away again in a stream of white blocks, before reappearing by Simon's side and quickly checking him over.

'Simon, are you still able to fight?' Asked Wally in concern.

'Yes, but we should not underestimate our foe in the slightest. One more false move and it could be our end.' Warned Simon, climbing back to his feet.

'Ho, you are right, evildoer, however, justice stops for no man. All of you will fall here.' Said Fukuro.

Wally and Simon prepared for Fukuro's next attack, as he launched himself at them again, thanks to the jetpack on his back. Wally raised his arm in preparation to shoot the owl-man, while Simon starting gathering his darkness magic.

'Forget about me? **Ice Make: Wall**.' Said Gray, gaining the attention of the three, who had temporarily forgotten him.

Fukuro crashed into the wall of ice Gray had erected between the three combatants, stopping the attacks of both side.

'Such underhanded tactics. You have angered me now evildoers and I will fight you with the mighty hammer of justice.' Crowed Fukuro in annoyance.

 _-line break-_

'Shou, you need to stop! Why are you running towards Jellal and why did you trap me in this card!' Screamed Erza, banging her fists against the magical card barrier encasing her.

'Don't worry sis, my card is special and nothing can hurt you in there. As for where I'm going, I'm going to beat Jellal myself and stop him from hurting you.' Said Shou.

'No, Shou, Jellal is too strong for you, you won't stand a chance!' Cried Erza in dismay.

'You'll see sis, I've gotten strong.' Said Shou proudly, only for his face to form a scowl, as he saw someone standing in his path.

'I am called Ikaruga, greetings.' Said the woman blocking Shou's path.

Ikaruga wielded a katana and stood tall in her traditional sandals, atop extremely high platform soles.

'Move it. Who the hell are you anyway?' Asked Shou, not at all phased.

'Oh my, such a boorish young man.' Commented Ikaruga, raising her sleeve to her face, hiding her smile.

'I ain't wasting my time on trash like you!' Shouted Shou, causing Ikaruga's eyes to harden, even as he threw numerous cards at the beauty.

Ikaruga unsheathed her sword and slashed it wildly, slicing through all of Shou's cards with ease, splitting them in two.

'There exists nothing under the sun that I cannot slice.' Said Ikaruga, only for Shou's chest to suddenly erupt in blood, as two slashes appeared on his body.

As Shou fell to the floor, the card containing Erza floated out.

'Shou!' Cried Erza in worry.

'Oh my, you were hiding away in a place like that, Erza.' Commented Ikaruga in amusement.

'You have to let me out of here right away! She's not an opponent you can beat!' Shouted Erza, slamming her hands against the card barrier.

'Don't worry… that card has protection on it… nobody on the outside should be able to hurt you at all.' Laboured Shou, straining his head to the side to see Erza better.

'Shou! Let me out! That woman's sword… it isn't normal!' Demanded Erza, with wide eyes, as Ikaruga prepared to attack.

'Don't worry… she can't… see.' Said Shou, only for his eyes to widen in shock, as a slash was blocked by Erza within the card.

'She cut inside the card… cut into a completely separate dimension! Gasped Shou in disbelief.

Numerous more slashes were sent at Erza and Erza blocked them repeatedly, until finding a distortion in the fabric of space the card made up. Erza sliced through the distortion to exit the card and appeared in front of Shou.

'I have no business with you. Leave.' Said Erza, causing Ikaruga to laugh in amusement, as the knight's steel armour was shredded like paper, shocking the redhead and her friend.

'That was by way of a greeting. Oh? Don't tell me… you didn't see me move?' Teased Ikaruga, with a malicious smirk on her face.

'I saw it fine.' Said Mira, finally reaching the group.

The three turned to face the newcomer.

'Erza, with how conflicted you are right now, you can't beat this woman. I can though. Go and face your demons, while I show her a true demon. Remember, after this is all over, you better stop cowering behind your past and face the future with your head held high.' Said Mira, coming to stand next to Erza.

'I thought you hated me.' Mumbled Erza.

'I hated the frail shell of a woman I've seen these past few days, but I don't hate my rival who could match me in battle. Maybe she could beat this woman in front of us, but with your mind clouded, you wouldn't be able to do it. Go and finish your business.' Said Mira, flapping her wings and flexing her claws in preparation.

'Oh my, I suppose you want me to just let Erza there walk right past me?' Queried Ikaruga, hand still on her blade.

'That would be the easy way, the hard way is I keep you occupied until she gets past you. Then I'll finish you myself.' Growled Mira.

'The Demon, Mirajane. I had thought you had disappeared long ago, yet here you stand in front of me. Etherion is likely to strike within the hour, so if you think Erza can stop it before then, be my guest. Jellal won't make it easy for you anyway.' Commented Ikaruga in interest.

'You heard her, go Erza. If you lose though…' Barked Mira, trailing off at the end.

'I won't.' Said Erza, before walking towards and past Ikaruga, who made no move to stop her, before continuing on to find Jellal.

'Well then, Demon, why don't you show me how you earned that title?' Requested Ikaruga, stepping into her battle stance.

'With pleasure.' Huffed Mira, before shooting off at Ikaruga and launching a right cross at her face, only for the swordswoman to raise her katana and block the strike.

'I fought with Erza for years, a sword won't stop me!' Roared Mira, before her tail came around and lashed out at Ikaruga, forcing her to leap back in order to avoid being struck.

Mira pressed her advantage and launched a left uppercut at the swordswoman, forcing her to leap back again.

' **Mugetsu-Ryuu: Garuda Flame**.' Cried Ikaruga, as she slashed her blade upwards, launching a wave of flames at Mira, which overwhelmed the demon.

'I guess I was wrong, even Erza could defeat you. You're weaker than I expected.' Said Mira, whipping her left hand to the side and launching the flames away from her.

'Oh my, I was only warming you up, but it seems you've taken my kindness for weakness. In that case, prepare yourself for death, demon, my blade will deliver you to its sweet embrace.' Said Ikaruga.

 _-line break-_

'So, Ikaruga let you simply pass by?' Questioned Jellal, standing over a chess board.

'This ends here and now Jellal. The torment you've put Shou and the others through comes to an end.' Said Erza.

'Torment? Perhaps you have the wrong idea about what happened after you left us. Oh no, I didn't torture anyone. In gratitude to me saving their lives, many were happy to stay on and help me build this tower. You see, what those slaves didn't understand, was a carrot is much more effective motivation than the stick, or in our case, whip. No, I even let those who didn't want to stay here any longer leave, once construction had gotten underway. The only one tortured in this tower I helped construct, I suppose, would be you. Unable to move on, unable to help her friends, unable to make new ones. Your torture only just begun when you left here, isn't that right, Erza.' Said Jellal.

'This madness ends now Jellal!' Roared Erza, before charging Jellal.

 _-line break-  
_  
'Happy, we're almost there, how are you holding up buddy?' Asked Natsu, as he and his best friend flew through the air.

'I'm good, but I want a lot of fish after this is all over.' Said Happy.

'You got it buddy.' Grinned Natsu, before refocusing his gaze on the tower they were steadily approaching.

"Hang on everyone, I won't let anyone hurt you. I'll destroy that tower and stop Etherion, or my name isn't Natsu Dragneel." Thought Natsu, before increasing the output of flames propelling him through the sky.


End file.
